...Jennifer Machuca Mrs.Cunningham AP Language and Composition 01 October 2015 Rhetorical Precis Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts” selection (1994) argues that writing takes a process and the first step is to write a shitty first draft. Lamott accomplishes this by labeling “the fantasy of the uninitiated”is the thought people have when they read a great essay or book.Lamott uses this label in order to acknowledge that writing a great article or piece of literature is part of a process.Lamott is writing to those people who think authors are made to write a masterpiece in 3 hours or less. Summary Great final drafts are not easy, it takes a process. The main step to this is to create what...
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...Anne Lamott is a successful writer, having authored six books and countless reviews in the magazine California. This means Lamott is very qualified to write about first drafts, shitty ones in particular, in her essay titled “Shitty First Drafts”. Lamott begins by debunking the common belief among non-writers that writers instinctively and effortlessly “[write] fully formed passages as fast as a court reporter” or even know what they are going to write about before they begin. In fact, Lamott claims the opposite, that most, if not all, writers “[rarely] know what they are going to do until they've done it”. Lamott likens the writing process to “pulling teeth”. Lamott even admits she often has to “write really, really shitty first drafts” in...
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...English 1101 9 October 2013 Midterm Reflection I have done a variety of different assignments throughout my English 1101 class this semester. The assignments that have had the most influence on me include select chapters from J.M. Bohannon’s I Hate Writing, Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts”, Stephen King’s On Writing, and my practice with rhetorical analysis. Each of these assignments have significantly impacted me and caused me to view my own writing differently. They have helped me grow as a writer as well as come closer to finding my own writer’s “voice”. I have really enjoyed and learned from the chapters that I have read so far in I Hate Writing. My favorite chapter is chapter seven because Bohannon discusses many different ways to introduce a paper. I found her methods very helpful because I have a tendency to struggle when writing my introductions; I simply have no idea where to begin. Bohannon suggestions in chapter seven include telling a story, using a quotation, defining an unfamiliar term, directly stating an argument, writing in the reader, and being creative. After trying each of the options presented by Bohannon in this particular chapter, I found that using a quotation is my favorite technique. I feel it is the easiest way to start a paper off since I have something to base my paper off of. I also feel it is a good way to draw the reader in since a quote is simple, yet sets the theme and mood of a paper. I also appreciated the advice Bohannon gave in...
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...Shitty First Drafts 1. Is writing as difficult for you as Lamott says it is for her? Yes, writing is exactly as difficult for me as Lamott says it is for her. I could not have said it better. After reading this selection from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, I let out a huge sigh of relief, as I had no idea that even expert, published writers go through the same struggles in writing that I myself do. 2. Do you write “shitty first drafts” and then clean them up and turn them in? Or do you try to work out what you’re going to say in your head first so that you write only one draft? Or do you just turn in the “shitty first draft”? In the past, I have always been extremely cautious to let anyone else read my shitty first drafts. It always pained me when a teacher would ask us to bring a rough draft to class so that others could peer-edit my work. Because of this, I developed a tendency to attempt to work out what I was going to say in my head so that I would only have one draft. I would sit at my computer for hours typing, erasing, and re-typing my work, almost as if I was cleaning up my rough draft as I was writing my rough draft. I always tried not to just turn in the shitty first draft, as I knew it was far from my best work, but sometimes I would get stuck and would ultimately be forced into turning in my shitty first draft. 3. Based on your answer to question 2, are you happy with how you go about writing? Why or why not? Overall, no, I am not happy with...
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...Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts” is an excerpt from her book, Bird by Bird (1994), where she argues to let go of the anxieties and fears of creating a masterpiece paper right away by simply writing without question in order to get all of your thoughts out first. She refers to this style of writing to one of a child’s while also reminding the reader to just freely write knowing that no one else will be seeing this initial draft. It’s clear Lamott wants to connect with her readers and help ease any worries when it comes to writing because even the most popular and well known journalists or authors all go through the same thoughts and process as well. Her style of writing shows she is intending this piece for students or anyone involved in writing, whether for school, career, or a hobby. I find Lamott’s argument very persuasive and was moved by her style and dictation. It is comforting to know that...
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...If I am writing a paper, work e-mail, or discussion post for an online course I tend to use the same writing process. I would say it is a mix of both Anne Lamott’s described process in “Shitty First Drafts” and the 3x3 writing process in Guffey. My writing is usually done in 3 stages but sometimes only 2, when the prewriting and drafting stage blend together or if I am preparing something like and e-mail that does not need as much prewriting as a paper or discussion post might need. The first thing I do when preparing to write it get out a piece of paper and take notes. I scribble down the questions that needed answered or my thoughts on the topic of the e-mail I am preparing. Once I have those thoughts on paper I try and began to organize...
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...Rhetorical Précis In Anne Lamott’s selection from “Bird by Bird” (1994), she claims that it is necessary to write “Shitty First Drafts” (1994) in order to complete “good second drafts and terrific third drafts”. Lamott uses examples of her own strategy, as well as the methods of other writers, to convince the reader that a good piece of work doesn’t usually come easily on the first attempt. In order to achieve the finely checked “dental draft”, writers should get ideas out on paper that can be checked a few times to eliminate the unnecessary elements they randomly started with. This article applies to just about anyone attempting to produce a good piece of written work. I find this article very persuasive because I can relate to the examples...
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