- Please read and annotate Anne Lamott’s essay “Shitty First Drafts”. You can find this assignment and the link to the essay on Perusall. Please add a minimum of three notes to Lamott’s essay. These could be reactions, questions, definitions, or alternate strategies.
- Also read George Dila, “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft”, which you can find here on the blog, under the “Texts” tab above. In a comment on this post, please share your reactions to these two essays. Which approach more closely aligns with your own draft-writing style?How has that served you? Which essay did you find more convincing? Why? Your response should be 200-300 words and should be posted to the blog by 12:00 on Wednesday.
20 thoughts on “Homework for Wednesday, Sept. 13th”
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I believe that I resonate more with Anne Lamott’s viewpoint on writing drafts, I believe that it is an easier process of writing out essays and forms of writing rather than having to think deep and hard on “how am I supposed to word it out” or “that doesn’t sound right”. Personally, I think having to ask myself these questions in the middle of writing something, especially an essay, just blocks my mind from writing creatively. I have recently used Anne Lamott’s form of writing a draft. I wrote my sociology paper in the beginning of one of my 3 hour breaks and I wrote for an hour non-stop (which is surprising, since it was kinda boring). But it helped me collect my thoughts and create a format for my essay easily. I never was a fan of writing essays but using this format made it easier and quicker. One of Dila’s points was referencing a construction worker, however, you don’t have to be too messy while writing your first draft. You should still include those prominent points that are crucial to the essay and just add on from there, make it a little easy on yourself when revising the whole essay. Still try to incorporate note-worthy sentences in your writing that can help format and clarify the supporting details in that piece. Not everything is going to be perfect in your first draft, there are always going to be revisions, so why not pour out your creativity into it first and just put in a little more effort to revise those rich and creative thoughts.
Although George Dila’s take is a little extreme, I resonate slightly more with what he’s saying. He prefers quality over quantity in his work, which I can agree with. In my own experience I haven’t had much trouble with writing creatively or “on prompt.” I think having confidence from within allows your brain to comfortably lay out its thoughts on paper. That being said, everyone is different and on their own pace. Someone may have a unique perspective on how to navigate writing, so either style can be “correct.” The more important part is how the finished product gets mastered. To Dila’s point, being strict early can block out writer’s block itself, but for those who lean towards Anne Lamott, her style might be the only method where their authentic opinions can shine. For some, diving into a prompt with a prepared set of answers may be their go to. For others, they will kickstart their writing from an “in the moment” feeling that can only be replicated by the conditions being met for which they got inspired. It all depends on the environment that it’s been taken place, and the type of person writing the piece. I align more with Dila’s methods. Someone else may like Anne’s. The finished product is what counts.
After reading both essays, I can say that I agree and resonate with George Dila’s method of writing. When I write I make sure that I know what I’m going to write about before I even start typing. Just writing anything that comes to my head and fixing it later would not help me ever get on topic about what I’m supposed to be writing. I usually start my writing off based on the topic and as I continue writing I will change or add any ideas that I think would make my writing better. When I write I kind of don’t ever have a “first draft” because Like Dila I revise as I go. By the time it is time to finish off my writing, most of the revisions that other writers make at the end have already been done in my writing. I can see why people would work with Anne Lamott’s method but to me that seems like something you do in the brainstorming part of your writing; way before you even start the first draft. I also agree with Dila when he says that his opening sentence is really important because for me a good opening sentence gives me the confidence to continue writing even if I end up changing it later.
After reading these two writings I felt like Dila’s point of view was something I relate to but after reading “Shitty First drafts” I feel like Lamott’s take is a style I will start to imply in my writing. When I try to structure my first draft perfectly or think to hard on how to start, I tend to get overwhelemed and stressed. I never get too far in my writing and end up procrastinating at the end. The idea of writing whatever is on your mind will really helps me see visually what type of writing style I want to approach. I can see where my direction of writing is heading and that can make my writing process a lot easier. Trying to perfect your craft at the first try is hard. Eventually you’re still going to have to edit and revise. Starting with a poor quality writing really allows yourself to be more open minded. You can easily brush off ideas that you had in mind when worrying about prefection and realize later on that you could have used those ideas. After reading Lamott’s writing I realized the importance of not judging yourself and the ideas that you may come across because you’ll be less overwhelmed and find out that ideas you wouldn’t deem necessary and actually find out that the idea can be used in a way that can help the flow of your writing. She has made a convincing point and I feel that this is because I am someone who used the idea of creating a good first sentence and it has not worked out for me. In future writings I will start to take the idea of “Shitty first drafts” and see how it works out for me.
While reading both of the essays, I noticed the relation that I have with both. When I write my first draft, I jot down my ideas until I run out. However, I reread what I have written and, if it doesn’t appeal to me I change it right then and there. The first essay discusses the acceptance of writing “sloppy” first drafts and the struggle you face with them. I can relate to this because when I am given a first draft, it is difficult to start and think of a topic to write about. I know it won’t be perfect so I just try. I am already thinking that my writing will come out bad, so I shouldn’t have high expectations. At the same time, I like to be aware of how my writing connects to the topic. This ties into the second essay, which discusses that the idea that first drafts shouldn’t be considered in a “bad” way. As you write you are aware of what is written and fix it along the way. Repeating the process until you finish and go over it multiple times. Erasing the stigma that first drafts are bad from the start when it doesn’t have to be. I believe that people should have a similar understanding to that way but I can’t help but think the other way around.
I prefer Anne Lamott’s “shitty first draft” approach because it resembles my writing style. Lamott’s method says it’s okay to write a bad first draft. This means you can just get your ideas down without worrying about perfecting them immediately. This works for me because if I try to be excellent from the start, I get stuck and need help to make progress. It’s tough to make a perfect piece that succeeds in reaching all dynamics in a short time. Instead, I follow Lamott’s idea. I know my first drafts will be messy and full of mistakes, but that’s okay. It lets me be creative without the pressure of perfection. I can always fix things later with various methods that I have practiced. George Dila’s approach, which is about revising as you go, would not work better for me. It feels like I’m editing too soon, and it stops my ideas from flowing. Ultimately, Lamott’s “shitty first draft” idea helps me embrace imperfection and focus on being creative. That’s why I like it better. But in the process of revision and having a final draft at that last moment as I read, I’m revising those sentences and changing them as I read.
Reading George Dilas, stood out to me in a very resonating way. My way of writing has always felt different to me, at certain points, I knew what I was going to write about, and putting it into words was never a huge issue for me but still confusing to identify. Reading what George Dilas wrote about and how direct he was felt surprised me. Seeing how he prefers to write and relating it to how I write, Building a good base, and having something to work with always fit with me. “He begins pouring cement for the foundation, it is uneven and the cement is somewhat watery, but he can’t stop to fix it.”.This quote stood out to me as it shows George Dila’s point overall, being able to know what you want to write and how to put your thoughts into words and having a good foundation for a draft. This base can affect the rest and how it plays out, I like being able to spill my thoughts and fix along the way knowing I have a good foundation and where I have to fix most. Resonating with my writing knowing what I have to work on while writing rather than after or later.
Both approaches align with my draft/writing style but at the same time they don’t. The author George Dila suggests approaching a first draft by revising each sentence as you go. I’d do the same thing as George Dila and procrastinate on each sentence for a long time, trying to figure out how to make it sound just right. The author Anne Lamott suggests approaching a first draft by writing whatever comes to mind and simply jotting it all down. I’d also do the same thing as Anne Lamott and just scribble stuff down and make it up as I go. The other approach I use with the approach described by the two authors is to first jot down whatever will be about a paragraph. Then I’ll try to revise it and think about what I ought to write about and whether or not there is anything to write about or words to come up with. I’ll just be wondering if this writing works and what I should include, or if I’ll be able to finish it. So, by then, I’ll be sitting there with a blank mind, lost in thought, trying to figure out how to continue the writing.
After reading “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lammot I thought this was an effective way to get ideas down but I didn’t think it was the most effective way in writing a good paper. Lammot’s “shitty draft” refers to writing down a flow of ideas as they come in and thinking about words on paper, not the outcome. Then you would go back and expand/fix up the paper. This method does help bring ideas and allows you to write without overthinking the work since you know no one would see this first draft. Personally, I like Dila’s method which he stated in “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft” which is revising your work as you write, I feel like this allows me to take time and think clearly about the text I want to write. I also liked the way Dila used the building of a home as an example relating to writing because in both you need a strong foundation for people to enjoy it. I do believe everyone has their writing style which could be unique to them but a mixture of both should allow ideas to flow as well as thinking just enough to not have to make grand changes later on.
After reading both “Shitty First Drafts” and “Rethinking Shitty First Drafts”, I can definitely say I resonate more with Anne Lamott “Shitty First Drafts”. This is because i sometimes have a hard time to get my ideas out in an essay and get stuck because i wouldn’t know what to write. So making a “shitty” first draft helps me get ideas on a paper and start forming later on in my second draft. I can understand however, that this may not work for everyone and i see where George Dila is coming from. I wouldn’t even call my shitty first draft a draft per say i would just jot down ideas sentences that sound good really anything that pours out of my brain and from there i would start my first real draft where everything makes sense. sometimes it just helps to write and then go back especially if you tend to get in your head when you write. There’s something so freeing about just writing to get ideas down without having to worry about it making sense or it being grammatically correct. This is why I resonate more with Anne Lamott than George Dila”s take on shitty first drafts.
After reading both “Shitty First Drafts” and “Rethinking Shitty First Drafts”, I can definitely say I resonate more with Anne Lamott “Shitty First Drafts”. This is because i sometimes have a hard time to get my ideas out in an essay and get stuck because i wouldn’t know what to write. So making a “shitty” first draft helps me get ideas on a paper and start forming later on in my second draft. I can understand however, that this may not work for everyone and i see where George Dila is coming from. I wouldn’t even call my shitty first draft a draft per say i would just jot down ideas sentences that sound good really anything that pours out of my brain and from there i would start my first real draft where everything makes sense. sometimes it just helps to write and then go back especially if you tend to get in your head when you write. There’s something so freeing about just writing to get ideas down without having to worry about it making sense or it being grammatically correct. This is why I agree more with Anne Lamott take than George Dila”s take on shitty first drafts.
In my opinion, both essays share important points regarding what a first draft should look like. Anne feels if so your first draft isn’t horrible and “sloppy” then your final essay won’t be good. This is because she feels although if your draft is too composed and perfectly written then your ideas and thoughts aren’t being expressed to its fullest potential. Therefore, she prefers to get everything she’s thinking on paper and continue to perfect it draft after draft. Even though I can see her point and how being too much in your head trying to curate the “perfect” first draft of an essay can have an affect on your final essay rather than letting all your creative thinking/ideas all out on paper. I more so agree with Dila’s perspective because I feel he made his opinion neutral. By stating that everyone is going to have to different methods of writing that ultimately ends up accomplishing their writing goals. I personally prefer Dila’s method of writing that obsessively revises every sentence. This method has always allowed me to stay organized and stay on topic. As opposed to all of my ideas being scattered. Staying focused on what I’m trying to say within a certain paragraph or sentence that I feel I would use in my final essay helps me stay on track on what I want my finished product to be. I constantly say to myself “how can I word this better” and “what should I add or remove”. Nevertheless, I find Dila’s point more convincing because it’s what I personally do while writing and examining my writing has giving me a better turn out, as opposed to when I don’t.
Although George Dila’s writing style is more of common sense, I would say Anne Lamott’s writing style aligns more with how I construct drafts. I always struggle to start my first drafts because I’m a huge perfectionist. If I do something, then it has to be perfect write away or else I won’t move on. For example, if I follow George Dila’s writing style of not writing a “shitty” first draft then I will literally stare at my computer screen all day, wasting time, till I come up with the perfect sentence to start with. But using Anne Lamott’s writing style allows my brain to flow ideas on how to start my first draft because jotting down notes and bullet points will give me more options to choose from. It always helps me to have a sturdy start without feeling like my writing is “shitty.” But I did find George Dila’s essay more convincing and interesting when he gave the builders example. It made me rethink of how I write essays but at the same time I feel like the builder example didn’t apply to this context. In any other situation I would use Dila’s style but when it comes to writing I would use Lamott’s style.
The approach that more closely aligns with my own draft-writing-style is the approach of George Dila.This has served me well because although it can take a really long time to actually come up with anything, I am creating work that is worthy of the mandatory prompts at hand. The essay that I found more convincing was George Dila’s mainly because of how it aligned with my personal method more than Anna Lamont’s. George gives a solid analogy about how a real life example of writing can be compared to building a house instead of building a story. When it comes to building a house, it is impractical to just build in any way the builder pleases because this will not yield in producing a satisfactory house worth calling a house and living in. There must be guidelines, procedures, and steps that are followed in order to get the desired intended outcome. The best part about George Dila’s philosophy on writing is that he encourages people to write whatever they please however it best suits an individual whereas Anna just tends to push people to write out abysmal quality of work so long as you get a bunch of words out without any point or purpose.
As a writer I resonate with George Dilas writing style extremely. Throughout my life when told I would have to write a first draft I would always be so upset since I felt as if my first drafts were already good enough to submit. I do not agree With Ms. Lamott, I do not think all first drafts have to be shitty. Although you have to get all you’re thoughts out and it can be messy I cant hold myself to do that. I get a set idea and after every sentence I write I reread it too make sure I have Propper vocabulary, grammar and flow. When reading “rethinking shitty first drafts” I was extremally close to the author since it felt as if we both had the same methods, struggles and more. Although some think writing a “shitty first draft” is crucial to the writing process I believe its just crucial to their own. Everyone has different writing styles and that’s okay and that’s why I agree more with George Dilas more than Ms. Lamott.
After reading both essays, I realized that I tend to use George Dila’s way of writing. When I write, I’m always trying to fix every sentence and asking myself, “Is this good enough?”. I’m literally doing it right now. But I have come to the conclusion that this method doesn’t help me at all. I’m always losing my train of thought and staring at the screen saying, “I don’t know what to write”. So when I read Anne Lamott’s essay, I found her method more convincing because writing without worrying if your draft is good or not can help your creative thinking, so that later on you have a better idea of what you’re going to write for your next draft. I will even try to use Lamott’s method for the literary narrative to see where it takes me; maybe I’ll find that this method is best for me.
The two essays are opposite to each other. Anne Lammot believes first draft essays are supposed to be messy, unorganized, and wordy. George Dilas believes “shitty” first drafts should not exist and that it is an excuse for bad writers. My writing style aligns more with George Dilas’ beliefs, but I’ve been told by everyone around me to write everything down in my first drafts. When I write first drafts, I think of what to write first to not confuse me later on. I don’t need to jot down all my thoughts when my thoughts are already in my mind. I just need to organize my thoughts first, then jot them down nicely. Personally, I find it easier for me to have my first draft somewhat organized. I do believe Anne Lammot’s ideas are helpful. First drafts are personal and can be improved later on. It is important to get ideas down rather than focusing on making everything make sense at the first try.
For me, I feel that Anne Lamott’s view on “Shitty First Draft” aligns more with my own draft writing style, even after reading both that and Dila’s “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft.” Realistically I tend to pour everything out, I try to get as many as my ideas on paper as possible before it escapes my mind. It also helps me to form ideas of what I want my final revision to look like. While the initial writing style or sentences may not always make the final cut of my essay, it helps me get comfortable with what I’m writing, pulling me out of the initial boredom or lack of knowledge on how I plan on structuring the essay. Lamott’s idea of a “Shitty First Draft” aligns with the idea of going with the flow instead of harping on perfection and getting it right the first time. While Dila’s idea of making sure every sentence is perfect one after the other, always proofreading whatever is written as soon as it is jotted down or not writing till I feel in my mind it is perfect, I honestly feel that I would not get any of my work done. Just as Lamott alluded to her in work, if I allow the loud voices of critics in my mind dissuade me from writing because my work is not perfect, my work would not be done. The reason I found Lamott’s essay more convincing was because of how much more realistic it sounded to me in the process of writing. Gila’s idea of perfection with every sentence sounds like an overly strict way of writing in my eyes. And I can attest to trying to write using Gila’s ideas. Not letting myself slack or “word vomit” and trying to make everything sound perfect. But by that point, I only had half of my introductory paragraph done. So I then decided to just let myself be free, writing whatever I thought would fit and choosing to proofread everything together afterwards, similar to Lamott. And after that, I had around 2 pages done for the research paper I had been working on, and I even had a clear idea on how I wanted to continue with my work.
My initial reaction to Anne Lamott’s essay “Shitty First Drafts” is that I completely relate. The way I write a first draft should be a crime. It’s like splatting my thoughts on a page., probably hard to even understand what I’m saying in general. The first draft shouldn’t be expected to be perfect. No one is a perfect writer in my opinion. We all have things to improve on. Which is why, when I read George Dila’s essay “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft” I was confused because he might not make a mistake, but he can still improve on his essay. I disagree with George’s argument. People may not have a shitty first draft but instead still have the need for improvement. Therefore, Lamott I can relate to more in a sense. My essay may not be perfect or good the first time writing it, but I will try my hardest to improve on it and make it to the best of my ability. I usually have a sense of what I want to write in an essay, and I don’t start writing until I have an idea. Instead, in small assignments like this one, I just pour out my thoughts as I write, I think. Lamott’s essay is more convincing because of the fact that she talks about the struggle of writing and highlights it a lot in the essay. I really admire the honesty and realness of her essay. You can still be a professional writer and still have trouble writing a simple review. You can be a regular student who has been writing essays for years and still struggle to find ideas or make your writing reasonable and especially readable.
My initial reaction to George Dila’s “Rethinking the shitty first draft” was that he was a bit impolite with his words, but as I continued to read his reasonings and perspective on how to write first drafts, he persuaded me to believe that there is no correct way to write a first draft. After reading Anne Lamott’s perspective I believed that the “pour-it-all-out” method was the most socially accepted way to start brainstorming an essay. Typically when writing an essay, I do pour my thoughts out but I am constantly revising my words, phrases, and punctuation along the way. As I write, I am always cautious of how readers will portray the quality of the work, not so much about the quantity. I believe in the phrase “Quality over Quantity”, it allows society to feel okay with their thoughts and not feel as though they always need more. A method of mines when brainstorming for an essay is to get all your thoughts down on paper in a bullet point format, then slowly piece your ideas together so they can transition smoothly and sound outstanding as readers analyze your work. Although Anne Lamott’s claim is true, I do believe that George Dila has a great point when he says ” …is to write the way that works for you. If it works for you to pour it all out, pour away. If you can’t write that way, don’t try.” His words seem comfortable to follow and it does not go against Lamott’s claim one-hundred percent, but it allows a different approach that readers can view it from.