SHITTY FIRST DRAFTS
This passage explains the need for a first draft in writing, which is something I have never really written or thought about. Even in standardized testing, when they would tell you to make an outline of what you were going to write about in your essay, I would always skip that part and just jump right in. But this passage, in a funny and entertaining style, conveyed the need for writing a shitty first draft. Getting all your thoughts out on paper is a really good start, even if you feel like they're not good enough for your piece of writing. Especially if you have no idea what to write, which is how I feel most of the time when I have an essay or paper to write. Instead of just staring at the blank screen on my laptop, just starting to type without thinking might help me think of what I want to write about. I really liked when she used the example of writing like a child, just any thought that comes to mind, because if you write six pages of nonsense and read it over, you might end up with a passage or a thought that you really like that sets the tone for the rest of your composition. I think that this was a really important passage to read because since it was entertaining and written in a style that I enjoyed, I was able to really understand what she was saying and understand the importance of writing a first draft whenever I'm writing something, and I'm more likely to actually do that now.
I am the same way when I start writing, especially in the standardized testing you mentioned. If I did any pre-writing, I did so with sketches or random phrases scrawled all over the prompt. It was interesting, however, thinking of drafts as a sort of child's writing. Drafting is just writing down whatever comes to mind, which can really make for some shitty writing. This passage made me more open to that kind of drafting.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well, I also never pre-write much but the explanation given in this article made complete sense and has convinced me to consider trying to write like that. I also liked the comparison to a child's writing because it really gets the concept of development across. Sometimes if you don't have the basics of what you want to write about then going further is going to be tough. So even if it takes more time it might be more advantageous to try and make a shitty first draft.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree during my writing process I've never found myself writing out a full outline before beginning a paper and this article has definitely opened my eyes to all the benefits this might have when I'm writing a paper. wether that benefit be when trying to come up with ideas before I write or help me stat focused during.
ReplyDeleteHi Dana
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see that this piece convinced you to give first drafts a chance. I can't wait to see what impact it has on your future writing.