Writing forward

It’s always rewarding to complete a written draft of a project. It’s also rewarding to discard the old draft, the notes, and the scribbles, replacing them with the new.

While in university, I developed a strange yet satisfying habit. I would write essays by hand, and then re-type them into Microsoft Word. After I finished typing, I would take one, two, sometimes five minutes to rip up each page of the initial draft. Carefully, and meticulously, I would throw the small pieces in the garbage, ensuring each piece was too small to read.

I started doing this for a few reasons...

First, because I can ensure no one will find my rough work. I am very serious about allowing people to read what I have written only after I have edited once. It would be embarrassing to allow a stranger the opportunity to get a hold of my raw, unedited thoughts.

Second, ripping up the draft is symbolic because, at least to me, it represents moving forward. I am getting rid of unnecessary papers that tie me down.

Of course, ripping up my old work also ensures that no one will find it and plagiarize it, but that’s another story...

After three months of hard work, I have finished a completed draft of my book. It is 82,000 words (and counting). I wrote most of the draft on my laptop, but there were moments when a computer was unavailable. Many times, in an attempt to find inspiration, I would bring a notebook and pen to the park and sit by the river. Other times, when I felt like I needed some human interaction, I would jot down notes on the back of napkins while sitting on a patio somewhere.

Now, all the random notes and papers have been typed, ripped up, and discarded, leaving me with a draft that I am proud of.

I know that eventually I’ll rip up this draft as well, and replace it with something better. But for now, it’s nice to take a moment and reflect on all the work I have done, and acknowledge how far I have ventured as both a student and a writer.

Till next time,
Amanda.