Feb. 1st Homework

Lamott Summary:
In her article "Shitty First Drafts", Anne Lamott argues the fact that everyone needs to write a "shitty" first draft to basically get all your ideas out, then using all those ideas to create a good second draft, which then makes for a really good final draft.
Lamott Response:
I really liked this article because it was short and got straight to the point. It also gave me kind of a boost of confidence knowing that I'm not the only one who really struggles with writing papers and that it's okay to write a really bad first draft because that can help make a much better paper.
King Summary:
In his article "What Writing Is", Stephen King talks about his own writing process and also talks about telepathy. The main point he is trying to make is that you, as a writer, can "never come lightly to a blank page" and you need to take it seriously.
King Response:
I really liked the unique way that he approached this article to get his point across about telepathy. He is basically just saying that you should take writing serious and just get do it.
Goodman Summary:
In her article "Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work", Allegra Goodman discusses how to basically become a more confident writer. She talks about all the negative things that come up while she writes and gives tips on how to overcome those obstacles and how to not let that negativity get to you so you can be a better, more confident writer.
Goodman Response:
This article really interested me because this is a problem that I face all the time and I just need to learn how to not let my "inner critic" get to me and to just be a more confident writer and with that, I'll become a better writer.
Haurf Summary:
In his article "To See Your Story Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes", Kent Haurf talks about how every writer has a unique way of writing and he even blindfolds himself so that he can actually write his papers for their meaning and not worry about the words he uses, grammar, or punctuation.
Haurf Response:
I liked this article because he is basically saying that we just really need to get our words out on paper and not worry so much about punctuation or grammar until later, which I definitely agree with. We can always fix that stuff after we're done getting all of our ideas and our main points out.
Sontag Summary:
In her article "Directions: Write, Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed", Susan Sontag shows us her creative way of writing and it really appeals to us because we can add our own creativity into it to make it a better paper. She also says that if we write a good paper the first time, then we can definitely write a better second paper.
Sontag Response:
I liked this article because although it seemed a little more informative than anything, she did show us a more unique and creative way to write and that just gives me better ideas on how to write future papers.
Diaz Summary:
In his article "Becoming a Writer", Junot Diaz talks about the ways that he became a writer. He went through heartbreaks and struggles and just when he was about to give up, that's when he realized that he was a writer.
Diaz Response:
This article actually kind of shocked me in a way because most writers don't really say that this is the way they became a writer. I think it's really good that he can still write even when he feels like everything else is failing. I actually find it to be a little inspirational.
Using These Essays:
I don't really see any common metaphors with any of these articles because they are very unique in their own individual way. Lamott and Goodman kind of relate to each other because they both talk about how to become a more confident writer. All of these authors have at least one or more problems with rules that they are supposed to go by and they just kind of do their own thing. I believe that they all faced problems like Tony because of all the frustrations and problems that arise in writing. I believe that Tony could have definitely benefited from reading all of these articles.
MM:
1. One of the things I found really useful was Lamott's article with writing the shitty drafts. She basically just says you need to get all of your ideas down on paper for your first draft, then keep adding and building off of that to make a much better final paper.
2. The only thing that will probably change with my writing is the way I approach it. I feel like everyone has their own individual, unique way of writing and however they feel comfortable writing is the way they're going to write.