Shitty First Drafts

After reading Anne Lamont's article "Shitty First Drafts" it was so nice to be able to relate. I typically have the worst first drafts. I don't elaborate on my ideas or even have a proper way to say what I want to say. It can be very infuriating but it is a crucial step to writing. The only time I don't draft what I want to say would be when I'm journaling because I am just getting everything that is in my head out on to paper. One of my favorite quotes on writing would have to be a quote from Hemingway which is: "Write drunk. Edit sober." I keep this quote in mind whenever I begin writing anything. It's easier to get everything out of my brain- all the ideas whether they are good or bad, and then edit later after I have a clean mind.

Everyone has shitty first drafts and hopefully edits to make their final product not so shitty. I like to outline what I want to say before I start writing as well. While that doesn't make my first drafts immune to the shitty-ness, it does help me organize what I want to be addressed in the paper and makes everything connect a bit better.

When Lamont talked about the different voices in her head as she writes and the hypnotist's method to put all of those voices into a jar, it reminded me of Rosin's article. When I write I tend to hear my parents' voices in my head, adding pressure that I have to write well and be attentive to everything. It is nice to get rid of the overprotectiveness while at college and not have them constantly looking over my shoulder to see what I do and how I write.

Shitty first drafts are an essential part of life. I feel like we go through shitty first drafts in thing other than writing. After going through a breakup this past summer of a relationship that dominated most of my high school career, I consider that to be a shitty first draft of what relationships should be. That guy wasn't a nice a guy and was very shitty, but now I know what to expect and what not to accept in return. Shitty first drafts are great, in my opinion, because they help you realize your full potential.