It was really reassuring
for me to read “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott. See, I’ve had this dream
of being a writer one day and the image that I have of being a writer is
someone who sits down at a typewriter and writes and writes and writes for
hours on end, until eventually they end up with a finished and perfect
manuscript. And because of this image, this stereotype, I suppose I’ve at times
considered myself to be a bit of a failure. If I can’t write a perfect
manuscript on the first try, could I really call myself a writer? Some of that feeling
could also come from the perfectionist inside of me. Everything has to be
perfect and it all has to happen on the first try.
But after
reading “Shitty First Drafts” and learning that most (if not all) writers have
trouble writing some times and that the perfect draft doesn’t exist, I feel
relieved. I am not the only one with this problem and being stuck or having
trouble writing is a very common problem. What I’ve learned from “Shitty First
Drafts” is to relax and have confidence in yourself and your abilities. The
most important thing is NOT being perfect the first time round, but GETTING
THINGS WRITTEN. Let those ideas just come in whatever way, shape, or form even
if it’s not “perfect.” Getting things down on paper is good because it can help
flush away problems and find amazing ideas that wouldn’t have come up if I am
too busy worrying about finding that “perfection.” So as long as I keep on
writing and writing, I can never fail.
Lastly, I really like responding
to readings by writing a blog entry because it is more fun and easier to write.
I don’t have to worry about being professional or sounding too academic, I can
just be myself and let my own voice shine through. Writing blog entries is also
more relaxing and less stressful than academic writing because I can simply let
my thoughts flow out of me, like a stream of consciousness, which is very cathartic.
To end on a happy note, here is a video that I’ve found that has
authors giving some inspirational advice. :)
4 comments:
Hey Whitney, great post. I agree with you that blogging is an awesome way to practice writing because of its unpretentiousness. What I find interesting is that at least for me, I still have to go through a creative drafting process when writing blog entries, despite their informality. I kept a blog last year while I was abroad just to keep friends and family informed and I still had to redraft each post 5+ times! This just shows that no matter what kind of writing, no matter how formal/informal, quality writing requires some level of effort. I also really enjoyed the video you included, it illustrates that a whole variety of authors has the same opinions about Lamott's description of the writing process.
Hi Whitney, I really loved your post this week and very much look forward to reading what is to come. I wanted to thank you for inspiring my own blog post this week and for sending me in the right direction, as I initially had no idea what to write about. I took a liking and similar disposition as you to Anne's article about first drafts. I can be pretty impatient with my academic writing, but am learning to appreciate the process through my non-academic writing. I, too, enjoyed the video you included and believe the reason why we write should always be front and center in our minds. :) Great work!
Whitney - really cool perspective. I like the positive attitude you have toward creativity and the overall process behind writing. I agree with you about the blogposts! This is a great place to have conversation while having the ability to reference videos, websites and photo. It's definitely multi!
The whole GETTING THINGS DOWN ON PAPER thing is also, as you said, cathartic in the context of blogging! I don't personally have a blog, but I have friends who use it like a journal and then go back and edit later. Blogging is different though in that sense, because people can see that you've edited! That's why in a professional public relations or marketing scenario, editing beforehand, a final draft to then post is necessary. But these are more informal, which I enjoy.
I'm also glad the "Shitty First Drafts" reading made an impact on you! There is a lot of pressure to be a magical writer who spews incredible things onto paper, but that isn't the case. :) I used to see writers as holy beings when I was younger, but now they make more sense to me. It just takes a lot of work (sometimes less or more) to get that finished product. (We are going to ignore writers like Honore de Balzac, who would write novels in a couple days and almost starve to death, which I presume he eventually did). Not normal! Thanks for your posts!
Whitney, I enjoy the format of a blog for responses as well. My last writing course, Philosophy of Language, also used the format of the blog for responding to the readings. It was really interesting as the entire class used one blog and posted their responses to it. Not only could you watch the responses roll in as the deadline approached, but you'd be able to see the class' general consensus be established. For example, we had a reading about using format and images as way to make visually informative text. Ironically, the text was as bland as it could get. The piece incarnate would have worn a suit and spoke in monotone. The class was almost outraged. Each response started out critiquing how the piece didn't even use visually informative text. I'd say that is about as effective as the piece could get though- nearly the entirety of the class was literally enraged by the piece and critiqued it using the vocab of the piece itself.
That leads me to a question for you, do you think the cathartic, steam of consciousness writing will become increasingly popular? It seems that technology will allow people to gain popularity (revenue follows) through whichever means is most attractive the the average audience member. For example, look at Youtube as an emerging genre. Youtube limits the barrier to entry, as opposed to say a letter to the Wall Street Journal. Food for thought.
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