writing crap & shitty first drafts
The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.
The number one thing I strive to unteach students is about zero drafts. Students tend to think a first draft (I use Donald Murray’s term “zero draft”) should be as much like a “final draft” (another term I hate—I prefer “ultimate draft,” a term I stole from someone, and unfortunately I don’t remember who) as possible. I advocate one of Peter Elbow’s rules for writing first drafts:
Feel free to write the worst crap ever written.
Today I posted this quote in the Writing Center. I’m sure a few students and professors entering the Writing Center will be surprised to see that, but it should jump start some interesting conversations. One of the tutors reminded me of Anne Lamott’s theory of shitty first drafts ("All good writers write them [shitty first drafts]. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts"), which I’ll also have to post in the Writing Center.
Ok, I'll bite. I have been trying to work on getting my papers started
earlier and not feeling like I need to have an argument to start with. The
problem is, that zero draft doesn't seem to help me much, I still can't
really put the paper together until I have an argument. I started writing
my crappy zero draft early but it still took me several days of thinking to
find myself an argument. Then I still ended up writing my drafts 1 and 2 in
the last day or two before the paper was due. Any advice? I don't like
writing papers at the last minute and being motivated by deadlines.
blogarama
