The Process

This may be weird, but I started out writing this post by hand with good, old-fashioned pen and paper. I generally just type a post, skim through it for errors, and then up it goes. However, I was recently told that if I want to grow as a writer (and I do), I needed to start going through several drafts before I post. I'm not entirely sure I agree with that. In school there were always writing assignments that followed the same routine. I turned in a rough draft, a revised draft, and a final edition. To me, this was a pointless exercise. My finished product never really differed from the original. Now maybe my teacher did not properly demonstrate to me the value of writing more than one draft and making changes. Or maybe she did and I just didn't get it. Regardless, the fact remains - I am unconvinced of the value of writing more than one draft. Despite my reservations, I am going to try it. That is why I began by writing this post by hand. I feel more of a connection when I write with pen and paper. And because I write slower than I can type, it gives me a bit more time to think about what I'm writing. So, here's my plan: The first draft was, obviously, the handwritten one. Then I typed it into a document and tweaked it a bit as I went. Finally, I typed it into Blogger.

I'm interested to track how many changes I make between the first draft and the final posting. I am going to follow this process for the next several posts that I make and see how much of a difference it makes. The most important judge is you, my readers. So please take a second to leave a comment and let me know what you think. I want to hear your writing advice and if you notice a difference, good or bad, in my writing. Wish me luck!