First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing First Draft - Alice McDermott (Returns Again!)
15 snips
Jan 3, 2022 AI Snips
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Lecture Rewritten After 9/11 Resonance
- McDermott began an essay with a story about three firefighters who died in June 2001 and later acknowledged its resonance after 9/11.
- She rewrote and updated that lecture when compiling essays because listeners remembered it as prescient.
Reading Is A Private Three Way Connection
- Connection is the core engine of reading: writer, character, and reader form a private three-way intimacy.
- McDermott stresses readers expect meaning and look for connections that make the work feel intentionally whole.
Let The Real First Sentence Emerge Later
- Relieve pressure about the opening and allow the true first sentence to emerge later.
- McDermott says an initial hook can launch you, but a better, truer first line often arises after sustained composition.