My Shitty First Draft
Writing is something that doesn't really come naturally, and I always have a lot of trouble starting papers or essays. I felt a lot less pressure this t time due to the fact that I knew it was only a first draft, and I would get feedback and have time to go back and rewrite and add more details. But I still did have a lot of trouble starting to write. After reading Shitty First Drafts I know that the best way to get your first draft done is to just start writing and let the words come out but I still had trouble just letting go and typing because I still felt like I couldn't think of anything good to write. But after I started, my ideas sort of came together and I even thought of some new ones as I was typing that ended up being what I thought was the best part of my paper so far. But after I would finish a thought, I would have the same trouble where I'd be stuck staring at my computer screen not knowing what to write. But I really like that this was just a first draft, and that I don't have to have to have a finished product right away and I can take some time off and come back to my paper and edit it some more. I feel like writing in drafts will make the writing process a lot easier for me.
I have the same difficulties in allowing myself to let go and just write. I think it stems from the idea that everything we do has to be done perfectly being drilled into our brains from a very young age. I find that even if I start writing about something completely unrelated to the project I'm working on, it gets easier to write what I'm supposed to later on.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the benefits of "lowering your standards" for the first draft. It gives you more freedom to get the words out and written down. I agree with Stefanie that a lot of the "FIRST DRAFT MUST BE AWESOME" stuff that we get drilled with early on makes writing far more of a chore than it should be.
ReplyDeleteIn a sense, the "shitty first draft" concept is almost a way of being kind to yourself and allowing mistakes to happen.
I can totally relate to you, I knew it would be easier since i have more drafts but it was still hard to put it into words. I had a messy outline but as i started writing my outline started making more sense and became a sound structure for my essay.
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