tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post4833337499538492019..comments2024-03-10T23:01:51.493-05:00Comments on Stupid Motivational Tricks / Bemsha Swing: Smooth DraftJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-51367222365093280832011-01-09T02:41:34.272-06:002011-01-09T02:41:34.272-06:00The apologies are embarrassing because they make p...The apologies are embarrassing because they make professional scholars sound like undergraduates prefacing their answers to your questions with such formulas as "Well, I'm not sure but ..." Even the undergraduates know that they should not start prepared presentations like that!<br /><br />-- Well, maybe they don't. After all, they hand me essays saying "It's not very Andrew Shieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02804655739574694901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-63055420404296855262011-01-08T23:51:42.585-06:002011-01-08T23:51:42.585-06:00There is no rough draft, then. There is only an i...There is no rough draft, then. There is only an incomplete draft on the way to becoming a smooth one.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-66958785068151879452011-01-08T14:07:45.046-06:002011-01-08T14:07:45.046-06:00Ah, OK -- if the point is that rough drafts aren&#...Ah, OK -- if the point is that rough drafts aren't for sharing, then I agree. Presenting something that requires an apology should be embarrassing.<br /><br />Tangentially, I've recently started working at a big tech company, and I've been surprised at how little writing is valued. People do write, but there's no expectation that documents will ever be tidied up, let alone kept Vance Maverickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07477306994564623348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-89449968135369481372011-01-08T12:26:43.123-06:002011-01-08T12:26:43.123-06:00That's exactly what I mean. I hate when peopl...That's exactly what I mean. I hate when people present bad papers at the Humanities Center where I teach and talk about how rough their drafts are that they are presenting to us. They should pull the draft together and make no apologies. What are we supposed to say? Yes, your work is rough, so why are you showing it to us?Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-26107660975402031702011-01-08T12:07:43.997-06:002011-01-08T12:07:43.997-06:00I usually tell people to (what you would call) &qu...I usually tell people to (what you would call) "smooth out" (or "smoothe"?) their draft before sending it to me. That means removing the, well, yes, "rough edges", i.e., all glaringly obvious signs that the text is a work in progress. Let me point out flaws and holes, don't leave a "this is where I'm going to expand on" or "I'm missing someThomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858865501469168339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-7599959590657784802011-01-08T10:39:19.996-06:002011-01-08T10:39:19.996-06:00Yes, but I don't consider that *even* a draft ...Yes, but I don't consider that *even* a draft yet. It is simply what I am working on before it is a "smooth" or penultimate draft. My point is that you shouldn't show a draft to anyone unless it is smooth or penultimate.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371893596402673898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055932257464975902.post-50847946441853533452011-01-08T10:19:13.110-06:002011-01-08T10:19:13.110-06:00Is your point that you don't accept the metaph...Is your point that you don't accept the metaphor of substance and surface for writing? What you describe in the next-to-last paragraph (sentences that need changing, potential inconsistencies) sounds exactly like what most people mean by "rough draft".Vance Maverickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07477306994564623348noreply@blogger.com