"Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott 

This is my second blog post. My post is about Lamott's essay "Shitty First Drafts." As the name implies, the essay focuses on how terrible first drafts are, which they should be. Lamott's essay addresses a misconception I have about great writers; that somehow, they sit down " and dive in, typing fully formed passages as fast as a court reporter." Lammott says that idea is a "fantasy."

She refers to the first draft as a "child's draft," where creativity runs wild. You can write anything you feel or want "knowing no one is going to see it." When you revisit this draft later, you will find an idea or sentence that will steer you in the right direction. Lamott discusses the writing process he uses when he has to write food reviews. Clearly, it is a very frustrating state. She talks about how his first draft will contain "descriptions of the food,one dish at a time." She knew it was horrible but he would "trust the process." She will go back to the writing again and find a second idea or concept. She will then write the second draft which he says will turn out "fine." Of course, this writing process will continue every time she had to write.

In the last few paragraphs, Lamott's advice proves useful especially for me. He says, "All good writing begins with terrible first efforts." I like her essay because she offers the perspective of writing from great writers. Writing is an arduous task. You can only get what you put in it. We as humans are bombarded with different ideas and ways of thinking because we are all from distinct backgrounds, cultures and nationalities. As such, we all greatly influenced by these factors. I know I am. Lamotts's decision to shut up all these voices is one I plan to take. Not that I don't think my writings should not be influenced by the voices of the "vinegar-lipped Reader lady" or "the emaciated German male" or even my "parents." Yet, these voices sometimes hinder the best and explicit ideas.

I love to write first drafts but they are really daunting to initiate. However when I begin, I find that there has been these great ideas bottling inside of me. It might not always be the best ideas but as Lamott said "the first draft is the down draft - you just get it down."