Whenever I begin a new story, whether it's informative or creative or even a diary entry, I have a constant desire to perfect it before it even begins. That is the biggest obstacle that I face, and stressing over the first draft often becomes the force that pushes me towards writer's block. However, after reading Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts", I have never felt more comfortable scribbling down the first draft.
As I read Lamott's article, I saw that she wrote "the first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later." This exact quote brings me back to first order thinking, which will now always come to my mind whenever free-writing is mentioned. The more drafts a writer creates, the closer the writer gets to second order thinking--all of the revisions and "What was I thinking?'s" slowly help the writer get closer to home.
In the end, Lamott's "Shitty First Draft" isn't really "shitty." It's just a slew of emotions, thoughts, and ideas that become too difficult to put into words in just one sitting. Every writer needs to understand that the first draft of their books or stories or essays is never terrible--their first draft is the first step to releasing the world that is trapped inside of your head. And after that, you run to the top of the staircase in triumph, grasping the polished, nearly perfect product in your hands.
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