How To Write

All three of these essays have told stories of how each of the writers had things that they had to overcome to succeed as a writer. These stories helped tell how to become a good writer. Each of them had things that got in the way, which could have potentially stopped them from becoming the writer that they are. Everything that these writers have been through and failed at actually has helped them.

In Anne Lamott’s essay, “Shitty First Drafts”, she explains how every writer starts by writing a first draft, which is usually not too great. Once they write that work, they continue by transforming it into an amazing paper. They start out with a bunch of ideas and go through many revisions until their finall draft. People think that good writers can sit down and write and have the most beautiful things flow out onto paper, but that is not normally the case. She also had to overcome her fear of what the readers were going to think of her work, just like the other authors did. Before reading this essay, I never knew how common bad first drafts were. I thought it was just me and my bad writing skills. Now I realize that it’s normal and that makes me more confortable with my writing now.

In Lorrie Moore’s essay, “How to Become a Writer”, she tells of her experiences becoming the writer that she is now. She dealt with people’s criticism and with people, pretty much, telling her that she was crazy. Many people tried to discourage her from becoming a writer, including her own mother and teachers. She had a lot of failure and dispiriting things that affected her. But through it all she continued writing, how and what she wanted. Now getting upset from a high school teacher not liking my way of writing doesn’t seem as such a big deal. I’ll now be more able to express my own way of writing.

In Gail Godwin’s essay, “The Watcher at the Gates”, she talks about how her “inner critic” was influencing her work and how it tried to restrain her. She had these wonderful envisions of her stories, but before she could express herself she had to free herself from the critic. To do this she did things like disguising what she was writing and got to know her “Watcher”. I hope to never have my ideas blocked by my inner self.