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In “Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott expresses the need for “really, really shitty first drafts” (3). Lamott furthers her thesis by using a past writing experience as a food critic and her wanting for a pristine first draft (5) and how she eventually goes back to “writing without reining [her]self in” (6). This helps us see that all writers, even the “People’s Author,” needs to write crappily before getting a New York Times Bestseller, which they give out to everyone. However, if your draft is “healthy” (Lamott 10); the possibility of something missing, a thesis for example, you’re screwing yourself over. As more and more people have focused on that one sentence that makes or breaks the paper, the basic idea of writing is lost: the thought,
In Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts," the author writes that in order to write something of good quality one must write a first draft that will never be a work of perfection. Lamott further states that there is no instance of a mainstream or notable writer that sits down and writes a piece of perfected, written work on the first attempt. Lamott also explains the writing process of emotional doubt, draft sequencing, and the effort that is put into a quality piece of written work. Lamott emphasizes the fact that in order to find overlooked or obscured details a writer must muddle through countless body paragraphs, often irrelevant information or thoughts about a particular idea, to find the “real” direction of a written work.
To begin, the second portion of the book is broken down to several mini stories within each chapter. In chapter two Lamott shares her thoughts about the time she was trying to teach her son about Ash Wednesday. Her son was not interested, Lamott was angry with him. Later, she came to realize what is more important is that her son learns to trust her. Lamott, continues to explain why she makes her son go to church.
In “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott, she discusses how a writer’s first drafts are usually not perfect (para. 1). It is just a start-draft, just to get the writer going. The first step in this process is to write down anything you can think of at the moment or write out the details for your paper. Personally, I have always struggled with not just the first paragraph, but the first sentence. Like many students and writers, we all have difficulty starting with an interesting, attention-grabbing statement.
Anne Lamott’s writing process in “Shitty First Drafts” is messy. She initially writes down everything that she is thinking, and then she goes back and refines what she wrote. Lamott has writer's block because she panics about how good her writing is going to be. She resolves this by taking a break, sitting back down, and word vomiting onto her paper. Lamott later goes back to her draft, elaborates on good ideas in her writing, and then crosses out everything else.
The author's tone and interesting way of using rhetorical devices was what really made the article as good as it was. Carr gave off a very pensive and intimate tone throughout the whole article. The tone he uses makes his stories and his attempts to relate to the reader feel like he wants to be as personal as he could. The way he conveys his tone gives the article a different level of formality than most articles do. The diction of the author is also an important aspect that makes an article the way it is.
Using an informal style and easy grammar minimized confusion and allowed readers to visualize themselves as Shepard better, thus persuading them to take her side. Shepard’s narrative approach, opposed to an academic journal, adds a personal touch that lessens the abrasiveness. For example, paragraphs 15 and 16 introduced the idea of grades being based on effort. Had this idea been presented in a blunt statement (Grades should not be based on effort and hard work doesn’t make up for natural talent) many readers would find the tone too harsh and not care to listen to the rest of the argument.
The article by Donald Murray entitled, “The Maker’s Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts” provides readers a better understanding of the writing process and argues that writers learn to write, by writing and rewriting. Murray also contends that writers must learn to be their own best enemy. Well, I believe I have this trait covered! I will confess, that I purposely saved this course for last, due to the number of years between my last structured learning experience and returning to school to complete a BSN degree.
I thought Lewis did an amazing job at displaying just how meaningful a little bit of correctly used punctuation could be; He does it throughout the entire essay with all the other types of punctuation; Although, I was a little bummed out at the end when he was talking about the dash and poetry. This part of his essay seemed like it had a completely different tone altogether to me; it wasn’t as comical and I had a harder time understanding the correct and incorrect usage of these two things. Overall, I thought this essay was really funny, and I enjoyed reading it when initially I was dreading it, but it was good, and I’m glad I took the time to give it a
Furthermore, as Lamott says this and develops her connection with beginning writers who may feel discouraged or maybe even feel overwhelmed, by offering them positive reinforcement and words of encouragement. Lamott’s word choice also has a direct impact on the pathos she portrays in her article, simply by beginning with the title “Shitty First Drafts”. Her word choice is reminiscent to that of a normal friend, and this level of
In the article “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lemott she discusses how every writer has difficulty putting their ideas on paper because writing should be seen as a process that even the best and famous writers follow. She also talks about how even the best writers don’t just come with ideas and just begin writing on paper and make it as their final draft. Lemott also points out the importance of being able to just write down every thought into the first draft regardless of the structure of the draft and how it makes it easier to start the second draft. After writing the second draft it makes the final draft a review of punctuation and grammar corrections. As a food reviewer she struggled putting her ideas together because she would start doubting
Anne Lamott 's essay, “Shitty First Drafts” explains to its readers that all writers, even the best, can have “shitty first drafts.” The essay presents the proper writing process from the first draft to the final piece of work. Her essay is intended to encourage writers who are in need of direction when it comes to writing and to teach inexperienced writers ways to become more successful in writing. Anne Lamott uses her personal experiences to build credibility, figurative language to engage the reader and provides the reader with logical steps for the writing process. To build credibility on her processes success, Lamott uses her own personal experiences.
I start off well with the introduction then by the third paragraph my mind is blank. Funny thing is I have a lot of ideas that I could type but just can’t express them when it’s time to write.
I continued to type; I added in unnecessary symbolism and metaphors to give the illusion of a well-written paper. I was making good time, I had almost a page and a half done already, but suddenly I stopped writing. “ What next?” I had a case of writer's block, and it was bad.
Also not leaving people wondering about what is happening makes a good piece of writing. I know when I have written something well, when I feel very confident in it. As I’m reading through it, I want to keep reading it. Also when I don’t feel the need to go back and add more words or details because I already had. That is how I know when I have written my best.