When I was in school for creative writing, our prof showed us a talk given by, I think, Stephen King (I could be wrong), and one thing he said really stuck with me:
"Nine out of every ten words I write in a first draft is garbage. The work of editing is to find the one, and then find its family."
I teach writing. I *love* writing. And a lot of y'all have told me that you like how I write.
So, please understand where I'm coming from when I say that I want all of you with a story to tell to write it and share it.
And also that the first draft will be awful. And that's a good thing.
So many people get swept up in their first drafts, unable to see the darling ideas that are keeping it from shining. So many are afraid of the intensity of their own voice, their feelings, the close, thudding, bleeding heart that they need to put on the page, and so they hold it at arm's length.
Most of us don't really know where the story we want to tell actually begins until the first draft is on the page. Then, we have to go back and lay some extra track or pick it up, so we can start at the right spot for our story.
This is a good thing.
Stories are told *in revision*. Not in your first draft. Usually not your second or third.
Always remember: even the very best writers on the planet can't get their stories out right on the first try. You can't either.
This is a good thing.
Because it means you get to keep trying till it's right.
@ephialtes yessssss!
This is why I no longer grade for quality. All of the grade comes from *just doing* the stuff that we know leads to quality.
And the quality of my students' work has never been higher.
Doc Impossible
Ina