#TBT to when I first read Anne Lamott's advice about first drafts, which, in her book Bird by Bird, she simply calls "shitty." She tells writers to start by getting something — anything — down on paper. This is still my guiding principle every time I sit down to write.
This advice both validates the difficulty of getting started, reassuring me that it’s fine, even expected, for a first draft to be flawed and encourages me to give myself permission to write freely and embrace imperfect beginnings, clearing the way for creativity and authentic voice to emerge.
