Many writers have their own styles and processes of writing and it takes time for everyone to find their own rhythm. While many tend to have similar writing processes others may have very contrasting processes, like George Dila and Anne Lamott. Dila claims that when writing first drafts you should revise while writing, and that no first draft needs to be “shitty”, the word that Lamott uses. She feels that all first drafts are going to be terrible and that it is best to just get all ideas from start to finish, then go back and revise two or three times. Even though I am still discovering my own writing process, I feel that so far it is a combination of both ideas. When I start writing an essay or any first draft of a writing piece, I typically try to get my opening paragraph, mainly the thesis of any essay, as perfect as possible, like Dila. The well written structure of this first paragraph is what initially helps me to write out the rest of my ideas for my draft. After finishing that, I will quickly get out all of my ideas for the rest of the paragraphs, making sure to include everything I want to, so that I can go back and revise it. This is an incorporation of Lamott’s ideas, in the sense of getting everything initially written down and going back to revise it.
Both contrasting processes are neither right nor wrong, because there is no such thing as a correct way to write. Everyone has their own style or process, it’s just whatever comes naturally to them. Dila may find it more natural to perfect each different part of his writing before moving onto the next, while Lamott may find it easier to write everything out initially and then go back and make corrections. Reading from both points of views from these different writers helps to break down the different styles of writing and helps me to discover which one may be better for me. My style of writing is a combination of both, and as I continue to learn how to write I will soon find my own process that comes naturally to me.
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