2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%

I recently read “On Writing” by Stephen King to find inspiration, advice, and to be honest, a step-by-step instruction manual on how to produce an influential, distinguished piece of contemporary fiction with has the potential to be adapted for an award-winning Hollywood film. Of course, greatness can’t be achieved in one fell swoop, but I never hesitated to try.

Since the dawning of my high school career, I became an expert at improvising in research papers, final exams, and every other assignment that teachers didn’t care for any more than I did. I have even written papers for others, never as a business, but because I was just so darn good at it. I was proud of my work; it was an ingenious masterpiece directly from my brain to the paper. After all, wasn’t every notable author born with grammar chiseled to perfection and a captivating imagination?

In my third year I had a teacher who has always believed that the journey is just as important than the destination. She stressed planning to the point that she graded every step, but regardless, I wrote the five page research paper in the span of two days with only a few minor alterations, and turned it in without a second thought. Not my most noble work but adequate enough. Unfortunately, not as good as I thought. I received the lowest passing grade, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Discouraged, I stopped writing altogether. My ideas for poetry, songwriting, and short stories gradually faded, and writer’s block ensued for any attempt thereafter.

Throughout King’s novel, he basically restated everything I’ve learned in a lifetime, but this experience alone taught me the importance of it all. I developed an uneasy relationship with drafts and planning, but soon enough I became fond of the luxuries of going to sleep early and spending my free time to do as I wish. In these drafts I always write more than I should, because it’s easier to cut things out than it is to add. I have always preferred writing by hand, but since technology is a lot less time consuming, I print my papers and do all the editing and adding by hand. King also does something that I like to do, which is pick an I.R., or Ideal Reader, to catch your mistakes and give input when it’s needed. I’ve chosen one, my sister, who I strive to impress through all of my work. She’s a mathematician at heart, though, so her least favorite thing to do is read, but that’s exactly why I’ve chosen her: it’s a lot more of a challenge and when I do succeed it’s even more rewarding. Lately, I’ve even become the I.R. for others, and peers now confide in me to give them guidance and improve their papers as opposed to doing it for them. Whenever I can't write, I take long breaks that vary from minutes to days, depending on how much the work in progress affects me emotionally. Many times writing a paper is the source of my frustration, but more often than not it's a release that allows me to express myself how I want.

Now that my writing seemed to have matured and I regained my pride for my work, I can safely assume these newly acquired techniques paid off. Literally too, after I won the $500 FSU Mores essay contest with only 250 words that I edited using this simple procedure. I've accepted the fact that recklessness and procrastination are not viable options, and that practice is key, not false hope or chance. Rough drafts have shown me how little I really do know, yet have proven to me that there’s a lot I already know. Writing is an art that requires skill rather than mere talent, and when you take the time to finish your artwork, you’ll always find it to have been worthwhile in the end.