Only 7 Writing Days Left!!

Back in the day, Little English 101 on the Prairie, your first writing attempt was called a Rough Draft. The permission to be less than perfect, in that first go, was implied.

"Dear Mr. Peterson,

Barbie has my permission to begin this story very badly indeed.
(She'll try to make up for it in the end.)

Yours truly, St. Francis De Sales (your friendly Patron Saint of Writers)"

When my children went through their public education, I guess the educators thought Rough Draft was too complicated to understand so they called their first attempt, "Sloppy copy."
The dumbing down begins....

Okay, fine. Whatever! *cringe*

Have you ever had something in your life for which you are so grateful, that you couldn't really remember life without it?

Well, I kind of have this with Anne Lamott's book Bird By Bird. Anne has written quite a bit. Some of it I like fine; some I couldn't manage to muddle my way through. Her fiction stuff was NOT my favorite. I recommend her non-fiction without reservation (unless you are a George Bush fan, in which case I have reservations about said recommendation).

Bird By Bird makes up for it all. And oddly enough, I cannot remember how I came upon this book. One of my many previous book clubs had Blue Shoe as it's inaugural selection, that may have been my first exposure to Ms. Lamott but I'm not sure exactly.

Some of the chapter headings of Bird By Bird are:

• Radio Station KFKD




• Jealousy




• School Lunches




• Short Assignments




• Index Cards




• Shitty First Drafts

It's the last listed here that I struggle to remember for personal application as I write.

I cannot count the number of stories I've started (fuckin' GENIUS stories, mind you) that I never finished because that first draft went so badly. So very badly.

And yet someday you and I might be having a perfectly friendly and frank conversation and I'll say 'Oh yeah, I know just what you mean. I wrote a story about that very thing once.' But what I really mean is "I started to write a story about that very thing once!" Somehow it's just not the same, is it?

This month I'm attempting to write a 50,000 word novel from November 1st through the 30th.
I knew from the first word that my pre-existing condition Perfection-itis was in for the big hurt.

Just prior to November 1st I was on the NaNoWriMo web site and saw words like:

• "Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft" But the pain is why I do this, right?




• "It's all about quantity, not quality" WHAT?




• "Lower your expectations, take risks and write on the fly" I think I'm going to be sick.




• "You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing." Define 'good.'




• "Permission to make mistakes"




• "Forgo the endless tweaking and editing, just create."




• "Build without tearing down." Excuse me?




• "Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together!"

Oh my GOD, we're all gonna die. Or at least, I am.

Dear Barbie,

You have permission to write a really horrible, terrible, shitty 50,000 word first draft with 50,000 holes in the plot.

Yours mostly, ~ B

(Mr. Peterson was never as harsh a critic, as I am on myself. Bless his heart.)

Call my writing what you will.

I am grateful that I have unconditional permission to write a full-fledged AWFUL rough, sloppy, shitty first draft.

Whether I have the courage to use said note, is another matter entirely.