Creativity and failure

[Will]

Spotted an interesting article on the BBC News website, so I thought I'd share it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34...

[Jim]

I think that we've over intellectualised the process. Most of these things are craft skills, you get better, improve, by doing the job, not sitting on your hands conceptualising about it

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

I posted that on my art page yesterday Will. Thought it was very interesting. I can't actually think of anything that you don't get better at by doing it!

[Will]

The intriguing thing for me is how people manage to believe the opposite.

We see people losing heart because their first effort isn't perfect. Similarly, we see people who refuse to learn because they believe that their first effort must be perfect.

I sometimes find it hard to give feedback on first or early novels. Some people react to feedback by throwing their hands up in horror and saying "that proves I can't write". And so they give up.

And some people react to feedback by going defensive. How dare I find their books anything other than brilliant?

[Jim]

Rosemary (The Nosemanny) wrote: "I posted that on my art page yesterday Will. Thought it was very interesting. I can't actually think of anything that you don't get better at by doing it!"

Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive!
But as we practice longer get
How much better we do get

[Will]

When I'm selling books at conventions and people ask which to buy, I always tell them that my writing has got better as I've gone along, and that the later books are better than the early ones. It doesn't seem to stop them buying and enjoying the early books.

[G J (Gaff to my friends)]

Is there ever anything in craft that's a fail, or are there only drafts until the final piece emerges?

Alright, what I consider a good piece of work might not be pleasing to you, or worse, a critic. But does that make it a failure? You will most certainly improve the more you practice, but that doesn't make your earlier work insignificant.

[Jim]

Will wrote: "When I'm selling books at conventions and people ask which to buy, I always tell them that my writing has got better as I've gone along, and that the later books are better than the early ones. It ..."

Having read them all I think you're right, but I'm one of those who also reads and enjoys the earlier ones.

I've noticed that then I hit a new genre, the first book tends to get four stars from people who give the second book five stars. I think it's that it takes time to 'find a voice' or something.
But yes, I hope we do get better G J, every craftsman should with practice.