I agree with Lamott’s descriptions as my first drafts always seem to be quite messy. Starting a paper is always the hardest thing for me, and I always feel stuck and don’t know what to write. From there I know I just have to get something down on the paper and just start to write whatever comes to my mind. After that I give it a day or two and then go back to try to fix it.
I somewhat related to this description and found it enjoyable to read. What I found surprising was that its common for writers to just write a bunch of nonsense in a first draft and then go back and find a completely different think they want to write about and start over for the second draft. I feel like that would frustrate me completely starting over after having initially written so much or had different idea.
Revision Plan Strategy:
I’m going to give my paper another look and highlight the major themes and support them with evidence from the text. In my peer review comments, I was told I needed to put more of my own opinion into the paper to support my argument better, so I’m going to explain more of the key quotes.
I can relate to your statement that starting a paper is the hardest thing. I am never sure on where to begin or how to set up my essay. I think once you add you own opinions into your paper to support your argument then your paper will be really strong.
Creating a strong thesis statement right out of the gate is in fact difficult. Sometimes it can be pretty hard to set your essay up right as a strong thesis is crucial to the effectiveness of any paper. Once you explain key quotes further and add in your own opinions, your paper should both be longer and more effective. Also by highlighting major themes you will be able to relay back to your thesis when needed to keep it at the forefront of your argument.