Elegant Final Draft Analysis

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Nichole Clifford Mr. Reich English 101-101 16 September 2013 How to create an elegant final draft In Anne Lamott’s article she explains all the steps she must go through to write a complete first draft. First she begins to address that many people assume that even the most successful writers have the ability to write fully formed passages with ease. Though, this is not the case. She then goes on to a brief description on how she believes writers begin their drafts. The words for many do not come fluently on the paper, nor do many writers feel confident in producing beautiful first drafts. In Lamott’s opinion writing is not rapturous. The only way she feels she can get anything accomplished is to…show more content…
Her reviews always took two days to write. Some of her reviews even caused a couple of canceled subscriptions. Never the less she would go to the restaurant a few times with friends while writing down the things that were interesting or funny. Lamott struggles the following Monday writing the review even after years of practice. She would think negatively of herself after writing many dreadful sentences and x-ing them out. When she started to feel worried and panicked overthinking her “mistakes” she would walk away for a while to take a deep breath and relax. Eventually she went back to her desk to continue writing again. Lamott mentions, “I would pick up my one inch picture frame; stare into it as if for the answer, and every time the answer would come: all I had to do was to write a really shitty first draft of, say, the opening paragraph. And no one was going to see…show more content…
She felt it would be terrible as her conscious thoughts told her so when writing her lead paragraph. As time went on however she eventually trusted her process of writing and gained confidence. In the article Lamott states, “I’d write a first draft that was maybe twice as long as it should be, with a self-indulgent and boring beginning.” Although her rough draft may have been dull or so called boring in her mind, it was a start. After revising the rough draft and crossing out lines and phrases she didn’t need, she would continue by writing her second draft. Lamott’s process of writing seems unique and at times crazy. Though I have to agree, writing is a delicate process that takes time and a lot of patients. She mentions battling the voices in her head and the fact that her mind spent much time having conversation’s with people who weren’t there. By this explanation I believe she is sharing the fear of the quality in her work and what the reader may

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