Gage Swett
ENGH-0990
Anna Daines Renneka
09/02/2013
Dear Anna,
Shitty first drafts are a thing not so unbeknownst to
most college students, which I'm sure you have experience with. However the
purpose of the author, Anne Lamott, of
"Shitty First Drafts" is not to relate a shared writing experience.
While reading the excerpt from her book Bird by Bird on a lazy Monday
afternoon, I came to the realization that it was designed to help all writers create an understanding for the
importance of the heinous first drafts in our writing process that allow our
writing to take form.
In the beginning my rue of having to write following the
completion of the article, biased my opinion of the contents and the writing
style of the author. Marking it as boring and mildly childish. As I continued my opinion slowly began to
change, and by the last sentence I had grown an appreciation for the work. Helping
me to realize that although our processes are different, that even those who express themselves through written word do
not always enjoy having to do so. "Shitty First Drafts" also affirmed
one the most important things about any workload, not just writing. The only
way to accomplish anything is simply, "To get it all down on paper"
as Lamott writes. Time and time again I find myself procrastinating the
completion of assignments, especially those of English, in much the same way as
Lamott. Generally by texting people I never talk to or staring into the
refrigerator as if one of the items I've been looking at for the last ten
minutes will magically sound appetizing.
The thoughts given in "Shitty First Drafts" has
helped me to gain understanding of the importance writing a rough draft. Even
though it may be tedious, and in the end it may not turn out very well, it
provides the basic shape and structure for a more complex and beautiful work.
You see Anna, the first draft is like a lump of clay given vague shape to look
like a vase. Only after this step is completed can the sculptor make it more
appealing by carving intricate designs
and paint it with glazes to make a masterpiece. The same is no less true for
writing. In the future I will used the information I have learned from reading
"Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott to begin the shaping of my writing
as ridiculous as it may come out, so that I can have an amazing finished essay.
Sincerely,
Gage Swett
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