Embrace shitty first drafts from "summary" of Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
You have to start somewhere when you sit down to write. And that somewhere is usually pretty awful. It's like stepping into a messy room full of junk - you have to start sorting through things before you can find what you're looking for. That's where the idea of embracing shitty first drafts comes in. It's about accepting that your first attempt at writing is going to be far from perfect. In fact, it's going to be downright terrible.
But that's okay. Because the first draft is just the beginning. It's like laying down the foundation for a house - it's not pretty, but it's necessary. You have to get all your ideas out on the page, no matter how messy or incoherent they may seem. This is the time to let your creativity flow without worrying about grammar, structure, or even making sense.
When you embrace shitty first drafts, you give yourself permission to be imperfect. You allow yourself to make mistakes, to go off on tangents, to write utter nonsense. Because you know that you can always come back later and clean up the mess. The important thing is to get something down on paper, no matter how awful it may be.
Writing is a process of discovery. You may not know what you're trying to say until you start saying it. And that's where the magic happens. In the messiness of the first draft, you may stumble upon a brilliant idea, a unique turn of phrase, a profound insight. But you'll never find it if you don't allow yourself to make mistakes.
So, don't be afraid of writing badly. Embrace those shitty first drafts with open arms. They are the raw material from which your masterpiece will emerge. Trust in the process, and have faith that you can turn that mess into something beautiful. Just keep writing, keep editing, keep refining. And before you know it, you'll have a finished piece that you can be proud of.
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