Author: Abeha (Page 1 of 2)

“The writing process is too experimental and exploratory to be contained in a rigid definition; writers move back and forth through all stages of the writing process and they search for meaning and then attempt to clarify it.”

I agree with Murray about how this is the writing process for most people because this has also been the writing process for me. Every process until you reach your final product has been very messy for me. You have to make sense of the mess to create some meaning from it. There is not one method that all writers follow to create their final product because every writer has their own process that is personal to them.

“Before this first draft, which Peter Drucker calls “the zero draft,” every-thing seems possible. By completing this vision of what may be said, the writer stakes out a territory to explore. “

I can relate to what Murray says in the quote. Typically in my first draft I write down everything I need to get off my chest. Then for my second I take what I said in my first and create what I want with it. This allows me to explore what I want to do and go through my options.

“I did not intend to write an academic short story. I do not like the genre. I didn’t particularly like the character who is appearing on my page, but I am interested in being within his head.”

When you are writing mindlessly you create mindlessly as well.  This is exactly what Murray does. I find his dialogue about it to be interesting because I like to hear his opinions about his mindless writing. When I write mindlessly I also find myself not liking what I wrote. I do believe this is a part of the process of finding out what you want to produce and what you don’t want to produce. 

1. Internal vision is the writer’s process of writing and finding out what they want to say in their writing. External vision is what the writer wants to convey to the audience through the mechanics and structure in their writing. Murray makes this distinction because he wants to explain the different processes of writing and what they mean to the writer. He does this so the audience can recognize their own process through writing and be more mindful of it. 
2. I have understood revision by an exploration. I find that when I write I have so many options to choose what I want to say and how I want to convey that to my audience. Revision helps me go through my writing and really understand what’s best for my work. An example of that is through structure. Normally I review my work and see what structure is used in my writing. From there I can choose how I want my audience to understand what I am saying.  My attitude towards revision is that it is a part of the writing process whether you like it or not.  Murray hasn’t convinced me to see vision as an opportunity for discovery because I already thought that before. Murray helped me understand why I thought that in the first place and broke down why I see it that way.

1. “First I’d go to a restaurant several times with a few opinionated, articulate friends in tow. I’d sit there writing down everything anyone said that was at all interesting or funny. Then on the following Monday I’d sit down at my desk with my notes and try to write the review.”
2. “If one of the characters wants to say, “Well, so what, Mr. Poopy Pants?,” you let her. No one is going to see it. If the kid wants to get into really sentimental, weepy, emotional territory, you let him. Just get it all down on paper because there may be something great in those six crazy pages that you would never have gotten to by more rational, grown-up means.”
3. “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something — anything — down on paper.”

Lamott says that the first draft is more about the process. She infers to this by explaining her own process of drafts and does not mention the product while doing this. Yes I agree in regards to my own first drafts. This is because when writing my first draft I tend to write down anything to get it off my mind. Then in my other drafts I will reword it to make more sense. This reminds me of when Lamott states “The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place…” I do this every time I write a draft so I don’t forget to write any important thoughts down. If I write a first draft it would not be the final one so I don’t try and make it my best one. Only when I am on my final draft do I make sure that everything I wrote down goes well with my purpose. The purpose of your writing is really important and vital to your final product, but when I am writing my first draft I don’t think about it. Basically I never think about the product in my first draft; I only think about the product in my final draft which agrees with Lamott.