In “Shitty First Drafts” and “Perfectionism”, both written by Anne Lamott in bird by bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, she emphasizes the importance of persistence when it comes to writing. Nobody will have a perfect written piece on the first try. Not even the best authors. A perfectionist will see this and have a very difficult time accepting it. It seems the author tries to convey that the key to writing comes not in the writing itself, but in the revising over and over again.

“Shitty First Drafts” seems to have been written with more of an intent to give advice on how to successfully write. It focuses on persistence when it comes to writing and constantly mentions how even the great writers are only great because of their will power to keep going. “Perfectionism” on the other hand seems to have the intent of helping the writer let go of his or her OCD tendencies and just let the writing flow.

“Perfectionism” seems to be more focused on the mental approach to writing, while “Shitty First Drafts” seems to focus more on the actual writing process. “Perfectionism” is all about how to clear your mind and not allow the perfectionist you to prevent you from writing poorly and revising.