via GIPHY
In “Revision Is Central to Developing Writing”, Doug Downs explains how the revision process is important to writers. Downs states “In the same way that writing is not perfectible, writing also is not in the category of things that are often right the first time “. There are some lucky writers out there who can write a perfect first draft but for most writers making a first draft perfect is near impossible. Thats because writing can not be perfected unless revision is involved. Downs makes a comparison between writing and a car’s head light. A car’s head light can only show a fraction of a distance but if you drive then the car’s head light will show more as you are moving. This is a perfect analogy because your first draft is the car’s head light in the beginning. Only showing a fraction of the distance, but if you keep driving (revising) then you can see more. Downs explains in the end that revision is key to the developing as a writer because if you don’t revise then your paper will be much worse.
Compared to Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts”, Lamott mainly focuses on the first draft and the good that comes from them. She says “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts”. She mentions how your first draft should just be what you know, your second draft is what you should be fixing in the first draft, and your third draft is the “dental” draft which means making sure that no spelling or grammar errors are made and that it is your best work. Both really emphasize the importance of a first draft but in different ways. Lamott’s method is just being ok making mistakes or “bad” first draft while Downs’s method is just making sure that you learn from your first draft. So their methods are very similar.
via GIPHY
These two readings have really taught me a valuable lesson. It’s ok to make mistakes in writing but it’s not alright to ignore them and not fix it. I will not improving my writing skills if I did that. I also learned that my writing skills can only improve if I put my time and effort into it. I sometime struggle putting enough time and effort into it because I still try to make my first draft my perfect draft. I’m going to try and shift my perfect first draft mentality into Downs’s method because I want to make mistake but I also want to learn from them.
