Introduction to Composing as a Process
Writing is a long and arduous journey consisting of exploring, planning, drafting, and revising. It’s a lot of hard work that culminates in a final, polished piece. As we write, we tend to come up with and discover new ideas, our work snowballing into a finished product.
Shitty First Drafts
“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first drafts.” Pouring out all of your thoughts and ideas onto paper without a single care in the world about the quality of your writing is a simple and effective way to jump-start your composition. This first draft isn’t meant to impress anyone. In fact, you might end up discarding almost everything that you put down. In this jumbled mess, however, you’re bound to find something great that’ll make the rest of your writing a cakewalk.
Freewriting
Premature editing is a disruptive habit that serves as the downfall of many writers. It’s a clash between editor and producer; you’re trying to write and make progress in your piece while, simultaneously, interrupting yourself to fix every little blunder that catches your eye. Freewriting is an exercise that aims to eliminate this habit. By writing whatever comes to mind, nonstop, for 10 minutes, you teach yourself to make the most of your natural voice and save the editing for later.
Response
Writing is a process and awful drafts are a crucial part of it. I tend to struggle with the notion of getting my ideas out on paper without editing them. These readings have helped me realize the importance of going wherever my thoughts take me and I plan on using the freewriting exercise to get better at it.