Welcome back to blog post #4! Thanks for hanging in there with me so far guys. this week we focused on the writing process. I read three different articles (linked below) about the writing process. Every writer had a different view on what it consist of and it was very interesting to see. This was one of the more difficult blog post to write but like any other I had a lot of fun coming up with this skit. I hope you enjoy reading this. One afternoon my friend and I decided to go to the library and get some homework done. My project was a narrative essay that i was totally confused about. I turned to my friend and said “I'm so stuck I don't even know where to begin, help me.” As soon as my friend was about to help me out we both overheard a voice say, “almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” We quickly turned to see who it was that gave their input and to my friends surprise it was Anne Lamott. She was accompanied by another woman (Mary Karr) and a man (Don Murray).
“Oh my gosh! Anne Lamott I'm a huge fan!” my friend said filled with excitement. I had no idea who these people were at first but soon after we exchanged hellos they all began to give me more advice on writing. I asked her why I could not think of a great first draft to write and why am i so stuck on writing a simple narrative. Ånne replied “shitty first drafts. All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts." I had no idea that even the best writers like herself go through this issue of having shitty first drafts. Don Murray added, “the writing process itself can be divided into three stages: pre-writing, writing, and rewriting. The amount of time a writer spends in each stage depends on his personality, his work habits, his maturity as a craftsman, and the challenge of what he is trying to say.” He continued by saying “when you complete a draft you know how much, and how little, you know.” I responded to that comment asking “why is it harder to write this narrative for my college class when i've done it numerous times throughout high school?’’ Don said “what works one time may not another. All writing is experimental.” I nodded and proceeded to ask my next question. “How can i make sure i've done the best that i could ever do on this assignment?” Mary Karr said “Revision is the secret to their troubles—and yours. That, and a sense of quality that exceeds what you can do—that gives you something to strive for. Actually, every writer needs two selves—the generative self and the editor self”. I commented on that statement by telling her i do revise but still can never get the grade i desire on this specific paper. She said “every writer I know who’s worth a damn spends way more time ‘losing’ than ‘winning’ ”. The way that I interpreted this is that all I need to do is keep practicing and revising until I get the grade I want. Never give up. All of this information was greatly appreciated and helped me alot. She continued by saying “other than a few instances of good luck, good work only comes from revision.” I started to get the feeling that she focuses on revising her work more than anything. Hearing everybody's advice calmed my nerves and I felt much better about writing my paper. Before the three writers left Anne had one more piece of advice to give me, “I always show my work to one of two people before sending a copy to my editor or agent. I feel more secure and connected this way, and these two people get a lot of good work out of me.” After she said that she winked at my friend and walked out of the library with Karr and Murray.
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Alexus MarkI use this blog to express my inner writer and help people see the world through my eyes. Archives
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