Journal 2 :Lamott
Lamott refers to the perception most people have on how writers work as “the fantasy of the uninitiated.” People who love reading think that writers wake up in the morning feeling enthusiastic and start writing in complete paragraphs that flow and within a short time, they come up with a complete book. This perception is wrong as writing takes a long process as one has to write the first draft, which is edited and changed to make a better second draft which is also edited to make a final draft. So it is important to know that writers are not always motivated to write, and the final product of a writer always begins with a shifty first draft.
I think when Lamott lets herself trust the process more or less her wariness is mostly personal as her first drafts were not as great as people would expect her to write and that made her feel a little insecure with what she was writing in the first draft. She says that her first draft did not reflect on the type of writer she is and if people read it they would think that she has no talent.
From Lamott’s point of view writing the first draft is all about the process of producing an excellent final product which I agree with her. A first draft works as a baseline for an excellent final product as it guides the writer on what to change to make it perfect for a final draft.
From my experience I would agree with Lamott as writing is not an easy smooth experience and one has to be dedicated. When I am writing I always start with a first draft which is most of the time have no flow of ideas or a story people would enjoy reading. Then I take some time after finishing the first draft before taking on the second draft which is formulated by making adjustments to the flow in the shity first draft. By making adjustments to the second draft and it helps me come up with a final draft that is used as to produce the final product by making few changes to it. I would say that writing takes a lot of energy patience and dedication as it is not an easy process.
Week 13, Journal 3—Straub Journal
The years I have been doing peer reviews for other students in my class who have also been doing the same for my work. Peer reviewing is not an easy task as it takes a lot of time and dedication as one has to concentrate on what there are reading. My experience with peer reviews has not been a bad one although at times I get my feelings hurt or the other way round as a result of comments I perceive as being unfair. When someone writes their articles or other material in their mid they believe they have given it their best so if they get any negative comment on their work they feel bad which becomes a source of hatred that breaks friendships.
I believe that peer reviews are helpful for both parties the one who wrote the material and the one who is reviewing it. The reason why I say this is once a person reads another person’s work it opens up their mind by providing further ideas that they did not have earlier. On the other hand after review some corrections are suggested on the work which if followed it makes the work excellent hence attracting high grades. From the peer review in class I am looking forward for positive criticism that will make my work better and give me more ideas on how to go about writing excellent pieces.
The tips of peer review that I will use as borrowed from Richard Straub’s work are how to go about the process of peer reviewing, how to critic and praise the work being reviewed and how to write comments after the review. So to give a good review it is important to place yourself in the writer’s shoes and note what the assignment requires, what was the aim of the writer or intentions and then make some brief comments. I have learned that comments have to neutral not so harsh or give a lot of praise for the purpose of motivation and encouragement.