Shitty First Drafts - Samantha Held

          Throughout my years of schooling, I have faced many late night writers block which tried to prevent me from finishing my assignments. For a long time, I assumed that I was the only writer who would sit and stare at their computer or paper for hours trying to piece together words in order to form an impeccable sentence. I would walk around my house wishing that something would inspire me to write my essay, grab a snack out of the pantry, and check my Instagram or Twitter feed hoping that a sentence would come to me. After reading this excerpt I feel comforted knowing that even experienced writers encounter the same obstacles I do. Anne Lamott, too "makes a few phone calls" and "hits the kitchen and chows down." It's reassuring to know that accomplished authors dread writing their first drafts as well, that they too struggle to form coherent ideas. This excerpt helped take off the pressure of the "shitty first draft." It subsidized the strain of the first draft knowing that "all good writers write them" and "this is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts." In the future, I will no longer fear my first drafts and will not be afraid to let my peers read them because I now realize that they are too in the same boat.