Strange New Idea
In Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts,” she believes that writers should embrace awful first drafts because, hence the name, they are practically meant to be horrible. Lamott highlights to aspiring writers that it is reasonable to struggle with writing. However, when you attempt to write “perfectly” in the first attempt, the process is painstakingly frustrating. It ruins the joy when writers cannot put pen to paper, so Lamott suggests they pour away all their ideas, whether really good or downright awful. Nobody will see that first draft but the writer, so it does not matter. The first draft is supposed to be “shitty.” The second draft is where writers revise their awful put ideas from the first draft. The third and final draft, Lamott notes, is the dental draft. “…Here you check every tooth, to see if it’s loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy.” So, practically, more and more alterations are done to the paper to make it up to par with the standards the writers wanted.
Disagreement
Unfortunately for Anne Lamott and fortunately for me, not every writer believes in such an absurd claim. George Dila, in his article, “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft,” concurred with the same thought process I had reading Lamott’s piece. It seems rather crass to note that if you cannot write a poor first draft, you cannot be a good writer. I won’t lie– it was also pretty funny to read. However, it was good to get such a perspective because I figured people would believe the opposite, but many agreed with Lamott. Dila and I fear that this method does not work for all writers (I am not sure if that makes us a bad writer). It is fine to obsess over your first draft because it is meant to be the solid foundation for your essay, short poem, or fantasy novel. Dila states, “I cannot even allow myself to write a shitty first sentence, let alone immediately follow the first with another few hundred shitty sentences.” If you read my last post discussing Reid’s methods of bypassing writer’s block, you will understand how well this resonates with me. I cannot genuinely sit and write an awful sentence, so it takes me countless back-and-forth arguments in between my brain to get a sentence I would find as ‘successful,’ at least at the moment. I revise as I write, so it takes a very long time to conclude my first draft, but when I do finish, it is not “shitty,” nor is it perfect. However, it has a foundation, and I like a solid foundation to revise even further. Therefore, when I am adjusting the second draft, the process is less draining because I know what I am saying or at least attempting. If I tried Lamott’s method, I would be scrambling in a panic trying to figure out why my sentences make no sense, have no correlation to the prompt, or sit for hours fixing numerous grammatical errors. This would put my brain in a spiral, which is not what I look forward to when I am revising. It makes no reason to make my brain spiral some more after it was just on its last leg, assisting me in conducting the first draft.
Resolution:
Now, of course, it would be unfair to continue to argue why the way Dila and I view the first draft is much more acceptable than Lamott’s perspective because it would be hypocritical. Every writer has a different method for how they approach their first draft. Perhaps they agree with Lamott’s side? Maybe they agree with the way Dila and I view this? Or, they utilize both methods at the same time or have their own obscure, unheard-of method. Who knows, and frankly, who cares? If a writer has a method that they enjoy and thrives effectively off, they should continue to stick with it. There is no need to attempt new things if something is already working. If you wish to trap the mice with numerous ideas running around your head that are distracting you from pouring your heart into that awful first draft, then be my guest. If you wish to sit for hours on end to conclude three sentences, again, be my guest. At the end of the day, neither choice is wrong. Remember, it is only just a “First Draft.” (Take that last clause as you will!)
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