Part a:
When writing a first draft it is best to get everything down and leave the fixing for after. Lamott states that “The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it, all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.” She explains that even if everything does not make sense it is best you get your ideas down and then you can figure out how to assemble it all together after. She is trying to infer that all writers do not magically create good stories/articles, but they go through a process of revision and editing that gets them to their final piece. Therefore, everything has its mistakes and corrections in a way that makes it successful.
Part b:
“Very few writers really know what they are doing until they have done it. Nor do they go about their business feeling dewy and thrilled. They do not type a few stiff warm-up sentences and then find themselves bounding along like huskies across the snow.” This caught my attention because I always thought writers get their idea then write but she says they do not. Writers write and let whatever they have flow out and when they start to get a motive or a feeling they start to create and pull everything in. I find this as a useful aspect to my writing because I do not know where to start or how to express my writing and put my ideas together. Now knowing this I can just jot down anything and everything that comes to mind and once I am done, I can bring it to life.
Hi Priyanka, I completely relate to your new understanding that writers aren’t really great at writing at once. It does take some to write a really polished paper. I think the comparison of us as students to professional writers can harm us and make us think that we are incapable of producing good writing. However, this reading has made me think that every good writer starts from some low level writing. From there they work on the writing produced, fix it around, edit it, polish it and give to other’s to read. It really is a process within the writing journey.