What Is a "Shitty First Draft"?

And Why You Should Write One

Hi, Writers! In my last post, I announced my newest workshop for personal essay/opinion pieces: Shitty First Drafts, starting Tuesday, March 3 on Zoom. Here’s the scoop. I’ve set the price for this 8-week workshop at just $295—even lower if you register by Mon, Feb 16!

I “borrowed” this beautiful concept of shitty first drafts from one of my favorite books on writing, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, and I have thoughts about what it means—and what it doesn’t mean—to me.

In this upcoming workshop, I’d love to encourage the sort of first draft that is “shitty” in the sense that it:

• Explores a painful experience, and it’s a triumph just to get it on the page. It’s daunting to write this sort of essay, never mind perfecting it, first try. So, let it flow out of you, be proud of your courage in sharing it with others, and then get down to the business of revising it

• Boldly experiments with styles and forms, and just needs some refinement. Examples include use of an extended metaphor, 2nd person point of view, an untrustworthy narrator, or reverse chronological order, among many, many others. There’s a difference between an experiment and a gimmick, and in workshop we can help you figure how to do one while avoiding the other

• Expresses your outrage so forcefully, it’s a borderline rant—but it can be turned into a polished opinion piece. If you’re anything like me, your feelings about so many awful things happening these days (take your pick) are running HOT, and it can be hard to rein them in. When you share your draft in workshop, we’ll let you know what’s persuasive, what’s off-putting, and what might have convinced us of the exact opposite point than what you’d intended! You’ll know what you need to do next to make it publishable

These are just a few types of drafts that will free you to express yourself without feeling paralyzed by perfectionism or fear.

Now here’s what I don’t mean by shitty first drafts: ones that are poorly written, confusing, missing needed context or details, lacking structure, etc. You know what I mean—anything written in a rush to meet a deadline but clearly lacking a true commitment to the piece. Since I take pride in atracting only the greatest workshop participants, I know that’s not something we’ll need to worry about! :)

In the meantime, if you live somewhere, as I do, where the snow just…won’t…melt, I hope you can use this time to stay warm and cozy inside and—you guessed it—write.

View of Plum Island in Winter. Looks more like the surface of the moon!

How would you describe a “shitty first draft?” I’d love to hear what you think!