E.P.S. wrote:...budding writers
Are yeast cells now writing? (Sorry, that was the bent result of a science education gone seriously awry. Yeast cells reproduce through a process often called "budding.")
I've read lots of authors about writing. First drafts are not generally planned to be the final submission.
However, if a writer doesn't get something on record (used to say "on paper" before the computer), there is nothing to improve. Unfortunately, producing a school report isn't generally a multi-stage process. There typically isn't an editor or a serious attempt to encourage revision.
School writing, like that of laurie's experience above, leads to simple criticism and a "grade." The grade is a terminal mark most of the time. The student may take the opportunity to do better the next time, but the "failure" is not seen the way it ought to be. Failure is the natural result of writing the first draft. The raw ideas are put into form, not left stuck in the head of the author. Then, the next step is to get editorial criticism. The editorial criticism points out style problems, story inconsistencies, etc.
A successful process for a writer is then to revise, taking the editorial review into account while reconstructing the story. A writer doesn't even need to simply do what the editor says. Maybe the author takes the story into a new direction to solve the inconsistencies instead of just repairing the flawed scene. The second draft may still not be far enough along for publication, and proofreading will deal with typos, blatant grammar errors, etc. After successive "failures" a persistent writer gets a product worthy of publication. The author will, I think, benefit from the failures coming quickly, though. Still, the churn of authorship is apt to settle to a mere ripple if the failure is accepted as final judgement.
YES! Fail early and often, but recognize failure as part of the process. Don't accept the "grade" as a final judgement. Write again, and again, and again...
...or don't.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
