Tag: perfectionism

Reading Response 8/23

In Anne Lamott’s “Perfectionism” and “Shitty First Drafts” Lamott states that all great writings begin with awful rough drafts. Thoughts have to be worked through in order to eventually figure out what a person wants to write about. Lamott also states that it is okay to write something that seems stupid at the time because it can eventually lead to something greater. Based on these passages, I believe that it is okay to not have everything perfect. For instance, when a person makes a mistake usually it teaches them something in the long run that they could have never known if they would not have messed up.

Lamott states in “Perfectionism” that “Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up.  But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.” This quote means that worrying about the messes a person makes in life on the way keeps the person from enjoying it. If someone is so distracted by their failures then they will not be able to see their accomplishments.

She also writes in “Shitty First Drafts” 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.” It is okay to be messy at first if it helps a person get their thoughts aligned. A person should write like a child speaks. Children do not know any better so they say whatever comes to mind. Therefore, a person should be free with their writing and let it run rampant.

Both passages explain that writing is most effective when the writer is not worried about perfection in the first or even second draft. Great writing is a process that takes a lot of time and possibly multiple tries. Although writing seems very tedious at first and is a process of trial and error, it can be a beautiful way to express one’s feelings or concerns.