Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

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First Drafts like Dough–Get your dough, then shape your cookies.

By Anita Mathias

The first draft is like dough–Make it first!!

The first draft is like making dough.  The crucial thing is making it; without the dough, no cookies, once you have made it, you can shape it into a myriad forms.

In my early days as a writer, I would foolishly try to get each paragraph right before going on to the next, believing that once I started writing sloppily, it would prove infectious. 

However, the same dough, with tweaks, can make muffins, pancakes, breads, cookies. It is important to have some dough to get anything done, to get your first draft down, to get what you want to say down. Later it can be shaped into interesting Christmas cookies, and reshaped at will. 

Read my new memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India (US) or UK.
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My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) or UK

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My Books

Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India

Rosaries, Reading Secrets, B&N
USA

UK

Wandering Between Two Worlds: Essays on Faith and Art

Wandering Between Two Worlds
USA

UK

Francesco, Artist of Florence: The Man Who Gave Too Much

Francesco, Artist of Florence
US

UK

The Story of Dirk Willems

The Story of Dirk Willems
US

UK

My Latest Meditation

Anita Mathias: About Me

Anita Mathias

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Recent Posts

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Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
Runner Up Christian Media Awards 2014 - Tweeter of the year

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What I’m Reading


Practicing the Way
John Mark Comer

Practicing the Way --  Amazon.com
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Olive Kitteridge
Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge --  Amazon.com
Amazon.com

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The Long Loneliness:
The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist
Dorothy Day

The Long Loneliness --  Amazon.com
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The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry:
How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world
John Mark Comer

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry --  Amazon.com
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Country Girl
Edna O'Brien

Country Girl  - Amazon.com
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