Summary and Reflection: Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott
Summary and Reflection
Anne Lamott discussed the value of first drafts in writing through the article Shitty First Drafts, an article in her best-selling book Bird by Bird. As a professional writer, Lamott disputes the commonly held notion that good writers find it easy to create written works without any indication of anxiety or difficulty whatsoever. For Lamott, all writers experience obstacles related to their written works. In turn, Lamott referred to first drafts as those that tend to reflect the obstacles of all writers towards producing the final version of their written works (Lamott, 1994).
Lamott does not understate at all the value of first drafts in creating finely produced written works. In fact, Lamott points out the potential first drafts bring forth out of every writer. Firstly, first drafts reflect the initial anxiety writers feel towards finishing their written works. Having no idea of a clear picture of the final product, writers tend to go on a process of exploration in writing their first drafts. Lamott herself recounts from her experience in writing food reviews for California magazine that writing first drafts were never tantamount to writing the final product. Confident in the assumption that no writer “writes elegant first drafts” (Lamott, 1994), Lamott states that if ever a writer writes first drafts elegantly in the first place exists, she is probably someone who does not have “a richer inner life”, meaning she may not have the creative and reflective quirks good writers usually have. Therefore, Lamott describes first drafts as effective writing drills for all writers, many of them being unaware of what they want exactly for their final output (Lamott, 1994).
Underlining the fact that all writers pass through a “type or kill yourself” process in writing first drafts, Lamott sees first drafts as necessary catalysts for writers to eventually discover what they want to achieve in creating their written works in all exactness. In line with arguing against the gawkiness of writing elegant first drafts, Lamott took her time to criticize a particular writer named Muriel Spark, who she described as someone who “was taking dictation from God every morning”. One could infer that for Lamott, Spark is typical of writers who do not fully express their creative selves in making their first drafts, which in turn influence the lack of creative panache of their final written works as those go through revisions under second and third drafts. Lamott further emphasizes on her point, saying that for her to “get anything written at all”, she has to “write really, really shitty first drafts” (Lamott, 1994).
Through relaying experiences from writing food reviews for California magazine, Lamott went further to discuss how her experience in writing first drafts were an exercise for her to exercise her creativity in writing and overcoming anxiety towards criticisms from her readers. Lamott herself humorously expressed how her food reviews might have affected the decision of many readers to terminate their subscription to California magazine, which has since been defunct. Many of the final versions food reviews written by Lamott for California magazine have employed entertainingly bizarre comparisons – which she collectively described as “comparing mounds of vegetable puree with various ex-presidents’ brains” (Lamott, 1994), arising from the creativity brought forth by her first drafts. Eventually, Lamott describes how she narrowed down her first drafts of her food reviews into “good” second drafts and “terrific” third drafts by applying the “bird-by-bird” principle she collectively advocates in her entire book (Lamott, 1994).
In writing first drafts, Lamott insists that it is important for writers to “trust the process”. Lamott emphasized that it is natural for first drafts to be at least twice as longer than the expected final written work, complete with crude leads, uninspiring introductions and unfitting descriptions and references. The feeling of anxiety towards first drafts, according to Lamott, is natural in the sense that writers tend to think of the initial reactions of their readers, who in turn are eager to read more high-quality written works from them. Given that many writers face pressure coming from their readers, their first drafts tend to manifest their initial quirks and frustrations in writing their final written works (Cleary, 2012; Lamott, 1994).
In sum, Lamott contends that first drafts are highly useful for writers to boost the improvement of their written works. For Lamott, it is highly instrumental for writers to express their inner quirks and frustrations in their first drafts so that they could gain the proper advantage in editing what they have written in their second and third drafts. After all, writers tend to gain full composure at the later stages of creating their written outputs, given that writing first drafts provide them opportunities for releasing their erstwhile-disorganized thoughts. At the same time, anxiety turns to confidence once writers edit their first drafts towards creating their final written works (Cleary, 2012). Surely, writers do not want any of their readers to read their first drafts, as they know that those contain their raw, unrefined and quirky thoughts. Writers, in turn, gain confidence in writing once they edit their first drafts towards completion via second and third drafts (Cleary, 2012; Lamott, 1994).
Discussion Questions
- Is the “bird-by-bird” principle by Lamott beneficial to enhancing the creativity or sensibility of writers in their written works, or does it work otherwise? You may argue based on personal experience.
- How do forcing good impressions in writing first drafts limit the ability of writers to produce high-quality written works? Provide suitable examples illustrating your answer.
- Discuss any personal experience that supports or runs counter to the point raised by Lamott on writing first drafts. Does your personal experience support the point made by Lamott, or does it provide an alternate understanding?
References
Cleary, M. (2012). Anxiety and the newly returned adult student. Teaching English in the Two-Year College, 39 (4), 364-376.
Lamott, A. (1994). Shitty first drafts. In A. Lamott, Bird by bird: Some instructions on writing and life (21-27). New York City, NY: Anchor Books.
