Q1: But this is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts.

A1: When we are writing, we don’t need to feel stress or worry that may not make it beautiful. It is a first draft only. Actually, for the first draft, it’s ok that we made it terrible. Because that means we have more things to do about it, to fix it. The first draft is like a tree in the forest, we haven’t even cut it off, we have so many steps to do to make it to be a beautiful Christmas tree. So if we have a bad first draft, it’s ok.

Q2: Then on the following Monday I’d sit down at my desk with my notes and try to write the review. Even after I’d been doing this for years, panic would set in. I’d try to write a lead, but instead I’d write a couple of dreadful sentences, XX them out, try again, XX everything out, and then feel despair and worry settle on my chest like an x-ray apron.

A1: As a start to writing an essay, we feel stress and don’t know what to write or how to start. This is how most people feel when they are writing something. But we need to write some sentences or ideas as the leader. So we can work around the idea, this is the easy way when we don’t know how to start.

Q3: So I’d start writing without reining myself in. It was almost just typing, just making my fingers move. And the writing would be terrible. I’d write a lead paragraph that was a whole page, even though the entire review could only be three pages long, and then I’d start writing up descriptions of the food, one dish at a time, bird by bird, and the critics would be sitting on my shoulders, commenting like cartoon characters.

A3: We can do the same thing as she did. Write all the ideas we have on one paper, even they are not so good or unclear, just don’t miss any idea that flow past in our brain. Then we can check them around to pick some useful and great ideas. After that, we make connections between them. And the situation will be much clearer.

Q4:  The next day, I’d sit down, go through it all with a colored pen, take out everything I possibly could, find a new lead somewhere on the second page, figure out a kicky place to end it, and then write a second draft. It always turned out fine, sometimes even funny and weird and helpful. I’d go over it one more time and mail it in.

A4: Do check our draft at regular intervals. Maybe we think that “This is all I have, that is”. But when we read it next time, we may find other fun ideas. We always have new ideas. All we need to do is when we feel tired or stress, go take a rest and read it the next day. That is a good way to make our writing great.