Before I respond analytically to Anne Lamott’s Shitty First Drafts, I would like to say that it was a very enjoyable read, as it was succinct, down-to-earth, and funny.  Lamar poses that there is a method to writing novels, and that the preliminary step of the process is to write a shitty first draft. That first draft is not meant to be written eloquently; the draft is meant to catalyze and ignite the thought process of developing the story. It gets the ball rolling. Lamar relates to the reader by saying that amazing writers don’t simply write their novels right away; they procrastinate, have some self-doubt and eventually sit down to write. I think this is somewhat comforting as we are beginning to work on our Rhetorical Analysis paper.

I believe that a rough draft is very important; though, I must admit, that whenever I write my first drafts, I put a great deal of effort into them in terms of thesis selection, organization, details and word choice. I find it easier to sort through the content for my paper once I plan everything out and write it all out. It then becomes easier to make changes, as there is more substance for others and myself to critique on. Quite frankly, before reading the article, I thought that the argument would argue the opposite. I felt as though the author would stress the importance of writing good first drafts, as then it will be easier to write full stories.  I was pleasantly surprised because, now, I think this approach eases writers and students into the process of composing a long piece of writing. It is especially important if people go through “writer’s block,” since then, writing random words and ideas on paper/computer might lead to a brilliant topic or theme.