"Shitty First Drafts"

Remember that essay by Anne Lamott that we had to read a few weeks ago? I mention it now because I caught myself using this approach to writing, and I realized how much of a difference it's made in how I write. I think that essay is definitely one of the most important things I've come across in this course. I've always struggled with getting things started in my writing, and that single, short reading assignment has improved my efficiency in writing a great deal.

"The first draft is the down draft -you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft -you fix it up.... And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it's loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy."

This is my favorite thing that Lamott wrote in her essay. I also liked what she said about starting by "getting something -anything- down on paper." This has encouraged me quite a bit; now I'm comfortable with the fact that, yes, what I first put down on paper is crap, but once I take that first step, the jumbled words and sentences will start to form into concise paragraphs and pages by the time the second and third draft come along.