I – like many before me in this class – have created about 18 years worth of shitty final drafts. Yes, that’s right… shitty final drafts. However, we are no longer in middle school or high school. The time for bullshit papers is over because we’re in a whole new ball game now. Entering college is daunting, but being a freshman in the honors program is the most intimidating situation of all. The 24 of us in this class are entering college with the expectation that we will succeed the way we did in high school. We remind ourselves how easily essays have come to us in the past and that we would have no problem knocking assignments out on the first try in college. Right? Wrong.
Anne Lamott's chapter from Bird by Bird called "Shitty First Drafts" removes this weight from our backs. Lamott explains a viewpoint that is contrary to what most students in ENC2135 believe. In her chapter, Lamott says “Now, practically even better news than that of short assignments is the idea of shitty first drafts. All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.” This reminds us that we probably won’t nail our essays on the first try because it is likely that our first try will be… well… shitty. However Lamott proposes that rather than submit this shitty final draft, we consider it our shitty first draft and continue to mercilessly revise our work. In doing so, it is proposed that we will achieve greatness in our following drafts and ultimately end up with a final product we are truly proud of. This idea may seem so simple and obvious. However, for some of us grade-A-high-school-paper-bullshitters, Lamott’s ideas are rather profound. For us, Lamott has taken her hand to our shoulders and told us to slow down, take our time, and edit the hell out of our work.