This week we read few different readings that focused greatly on revision and the revision process. The praxis reading focused on a few different aspects of revision from a few different authors’ point of view. Many of the authors agree that the revision process should begin with an entire first draft referred to as the “shitty first draft”. Lemott says “All good writers write them”. She believes that getting all your idea out it the best way to begin the writing process. Once it is written the author can go back and revise what they have written. Getting the ideas on paper first is best because Lemott claims that most writers do not know exactly what their plan is when writing. So getting it all out is the best way to begin the writing process.
The article “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft” by Dila posed a counterargument to Lamott’s claim that writers should write a shitty first draft. She claims that getting all your words out the first time than going back to revise them it the proper way to get out a piece of writing. Dila argues against this opinion. He believes that you do not have to get your first draft completely out before revising. His writing technique involves writing little by little. He will write a couple paragraphs - a couple pages maximum - then go back to revise it. Once he is fully satisfied with the little bit that he has written, he moves on to the next few paragraphs. Many authors do not believe in this technique. They get everything out then go back. Dila’s point of view is much different. I like his way of writing and this is my way of writing. Most pieces that I write are short, but I always make sure I am satisfied with the beginning before moving on. I write paragraph by paragraph and make sure I am satisfied before moving on. I however and never completely happy about my first draft and still go back to edit many times, but I do not allow it to be a completely “shitty first draft”.
Different authors have different beliefs on the writing process, but pretty much all of the believe that the best way to write differs for every person. One may might be perfect for one writer but not work for another. Every person has a different process and no way is right or wrong, either works or does not work for each writer.
I do not agree with Lemot when she says “All good writers write them.” Everyone has their own writing process. I believe just because you do not write a shitty first draft does not mean you are a bad writer. I believe this process can change depending on the type of writing being done. My writing process usually begins with writing a shitty first draft. I find this easiest to get my thoughts down on paper even if they are not connected or make any sense. I get more thoughts down that could take the paper in other directions that I would not get if I did not do the shitty first draft. However, if I am writing a research paper, I always begin with an outline. This helps me make sure I have a structure to follow and can make my paper as fluid as possible. I believe revision is a process that should be done after the whole paper is finished. I always check content and sentence structure, and then I check grammar and punctuation. I find this revision process easiest to ensure a strong paper. The writing process depends on each individual person and there is no wrong way to do it.
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