Analysis Of Shitty First Drafts

First drafts suck; the end. But the process is a requirement for great writing, one that many writers would be helpless without. The first draft is an exercise in brainstorming ideas; with no ideas, you can’t realistically write a paper. And that is why Lamott has come to terms with the process, whether she actually wanted to or not—“…I would eventually let myself trust the process—sort of, more or less.”

In Anne Lamott’s excerpt “Shitty First Drafts,” Lamott exhibits her own professional experience writing food reviews for California magazine while giving her audience a peek of her “shitty” drafting process. Lamott’s title is unique and not something you would expect to be reading in a college course. Nevertheless, this piece is effective in comforting the audience of students when it comes to writing drafts. Initially when I read the title I was uncertain what the content would be. However, after reading the first paragraph I understood the purpose behind “Shitty First Drafts”. Lamott’s purpose was to comfort her audience and does so almost immediately by saying “all good writers write shitty first drafts.” This statement alone sets a relaxed

Lamott states the main point of “Shitty First Drafts” quite plainly: “For me, and for most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts” (234). There, stated plainly and with the controversial adjective for emphasis, is Lamott’s message. To paraphrase: first write bad, then write good. Let’s take a moment to consider the target audience of the essay. Presumably, Lamott is writing to beginning writers, many of who are struggling and may not be versed in the wordy lexicon of formal writing. Therefore (and paradoxically), had Lamott written in a higher-brow, clinical voice, her advice on writing could have been misunderstood or unheard by

Lamott compares the process of writing with the painful process of pulling the teeth. She believes that in order to produce a high quality writing, the author must first put together all their ideas and thoughts in form of the “child draft”. This draft determines the flow and dimension

In “Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott illustrates the challenges and difficulties writers face while preparing to write their first drafts, by explaining many different examples and how to eliminate those issues and exceed into creating the “Shitty First Draft.” Anne Lamott’s use of figures of speech, narration, and audience appeals, teach the readers how to write their first draft. Lamott’s descriptive writing and use of details allows the readers to experience her struggles and compare that to themselves. “Even after I’d been doing this for years, panic would set in. I’d try to write a lead, but instead I’d write a couple of dreadful sentences, XX them out, try again, XX everything out, and then feel despair and worry settle on my chest like

Every day, all day we subconsciously breakdown our thoughts and process information to make a uniform decision in any given situation. Each person is different, so naturally the thought process will vary depending on the individual. The components that build an essay, create the “feel” of the essay so to speak. Those components are the thesis statement, transition sentences, and the structures or tone of the essay. In the essays, “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott and “How Not to Say the Wrong Thing” by Berry Goldman and Susan Silk, the authors describes effective ways to process and analyze a situation in the most compelling way possible.

Anne Lamott is a college graduate, the author of a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles, and has been a columnist for a multitude of magazines. In an excerpt called “Shitty First Drafts,” from her book Bird by Bird, Anne tells the reader that almost every great writer uses horrendous first drafts to create better drafts and works afterwards.

Lamott 's effective persuasion was greatly due to her reflection on the writing process that writers go through and at the same time informing her audience the importance of first drafts. Most people assume that accomplished writers can easily write something they could be proud of, but that is not the case. According to Lamott, all good writers write a not-so-good first drafts and “this is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts” (Lamott, 191). For the most part of a writing process, mistakes will be made and it will most likely not contain everything the author wants to say. Lamott addressed new writers that the first draft is where writers assemble their ideas making it the most important step to a writing. Lamott pointed out many times that first drafts will not be

Arguably, there are situations where the tone in the text betrays the author’s insistent perspective concerning writing. For instance, the author argues that a student can pass through the writing process successfully if the teacher chooses to shut up and allow the student to write. In reviewing this particular text, one may argue about the choice of words, however, the tonne also elucidates the author’s viewpoint on the involvement of teachers in the writing process. One of the questions the author has prompted but not answered is how the education system as a whole can be transformed to embrace the concept of writing being a process rather than a product. While the idea is sensible and well thought, its applicability in the education system is a challenge, which the author has not highlighted despite writing being under the umbrella of

Everyone knows what writing is to one extent or another, but we all have different definitions of how it should be done and varying degrees of seriousness about the art. We all have a process of writing, but each is unique to ourselves and our own experiences. Annie Dillard and Stephen King are two well known authors who have published many pieces, two of which describe how they view the writing process and let their readers get a peek of what goes on through their minds when they write. These two pieces are Dillard’s The Writing Life and King’s “What Writing Is.”

In reference to this element, Lindemann differentiates the terms by describing the reader as the person that deciphers a message while the audience is mentioned to be the target of a writing piece. In addition, Lindemann includes a broader definition of audience with the input of authors Lisa Ede and Andrea Lunsford. In general, I agree with Ede and Lunsford on the importance of the relationship between readers and writers. It is crucial for a writer to know his/her target before putting in paper a rhetorical piece. As Lindemann mentions, most of the students write their papers considering their teacher as their only audience. Therefore, I believe it would be a good practice to start imagining a broader audience to persuade with our writing assignments to acquire the skill of targeting different audiences to become better

I need to say I truly delighted in this reading since it brought about a significant improvement about my writing. I realize that I have never been content with the first drafts I have composed, and realizing that writers don't like the first drafts they compose is consoling. Teachers have let me know that this is correct some time recently, yet for reasons unknown, I didn't generally take what they were stating to heart. I like how Lamott provides for us great symbolism, depicting the splendid writer at her work area, rapidly releasing a polished draft in one sitting, and how this never happens. I think this takes a portion of the secret out of exceptional writing: frequently it simply takes a considerable measure of will and time. Maybe some individuals are characteristically preferred at writing over others, yet the way Lamott portrays writing, it appears that anybody, with enough exertion can compose well. I think having read this genuinely will profit my writing in light of the fact that

Intended audiences can convey a lot about writer's messages. Target audiences, which are normally implied, are not always completely clear, but readers can usually recognize public versus private writing. Journal life-writing seems inherently personal and letters at least private; neither of which would likely be misconstrued as a work meant for the public. However, Francis Burney’s “The Journal and Letters” seems to blur the line between public and private writing. Examining Burney’s stated audience in her first journal entry can help to expose possible intents in her writing that follows.

Audience- The audience is person or group of people who the writing is directed towards.

Moreover, it’s crucial that I understand and make use of the particular conventions of each of these genres of writing. In my quest to reach those goals and be a more successful writer, I know I need to practice time-management, honing my writing skills, collaboration; in terms of the review and revision process, as well as focusing on the best strategies to properly convey the desired affect on the work’s audience.