Pre-writing, creating outlines, or writing a first draft are all ways to prepare and assemble ideas for any writing assignment. One way we can look at drafts is to allow them to be shitty. A shitty first draft can be useful according to Anne Lamott, she encourages writers to put down all they can almost regardless of the direction it is going in. I think of it as word vomit. It can be useful and you might just strike gold with a phrase, sentence, and maybe even a paragraph. I have used this technique before and I do find it useful but I believe it is best in certain situations. I like to use that word vomit or shitty draft technique most when I have time on my side. That way, I can really go through it all and pick out my favorite parts. Also, it allows me to write different versions of the same meaning. This is especially useful when I write in a journalistic style. I love to write shitty first drafts for journalism to help me find my angle and write a good lead. This often takes me many tries but it is normally much less problematic to have word vomit on a 700 to 1000-word article than a multi-thousand-word research paper.
I may be on an island when I say that I also enjoy the opposing viewpoint. Renee Long rejects shitty first drafts and uses the metaphor of a seed or an acorn. Eventually, that acorn becomes an oak tree but it always begins as the measly acorn. The idea to me is to nurture that seed and not view it as shitty simply because it is not a finished or successful product. By nurturing, germinating, and caring for that seed or in this case, writing ideas, we get to watch it eventually blossom. I like the idea of not thinking of the first draft as shit because I have written drafts that feel so awful that I have not felt confident I would accomplish the goal of an assignment. Once again I find this to be situational. This style is great when I am writing a long article or paper. I like to be able to have a more cyclical style of editing or drafting. It allows me to water the seed or in this case, revise as I write. I can go back and forth between multiple topics within my assignment and know that each piece I add will help direct my writing further. It is not ‘shit,’ in fact, it is adding sunlight and water to a growing plant.
Ultimately, I find both styles to be useful. Although Lamott can be harsh in her wording and how she tells writers to prepare, or draft an assignment, she offers the freedom of being wrong and trying to be comfortable with it. This was something I relate to in journalism, but naturally, it does not work for everyone. Long rejects that idea and makes the first draft seem like a more happy-go-lucky process. The metaphor allows writers to not feel bad about a draft, and know it does not have to be perfect. Her idea allows writers to compliment their draft instead of putting it down and picking through drawn-out sections of word vomit for something good that still might not be there.
To see a different point of view that picks a bit more of a side, check out this post from Sarah Rosales. This article represents a more pointed opinion on the seed metaphor from Long.
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