In “Failure Can Be an Important Part of Writing Development,” Collin Brooke and Allison Carr explain that a writer cannot progress without some sort of failure. They describe that although there is an end goal for a piece of writing, that should not be your main focus from the beginning. Most writers are scared of failure along the way, so they try and perfect everything right from the start. However without a bad first draft or allowing constructive criticism and revisions, you will not allow yourself to grow and get better. Failure is a crucial step in the writing process and will help you further develop your skills. Much like Anne Lamott describes in her journey through failure, and how much better she’s gotten once she began accepting it is okay.
For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.
Much like anything in life we must fail to achieve our end goal. This is an especially important aspect to apply to your writing and the development and progress you allow yourself to make. For example, if someone is wanting to learn how to do a backflip and they have never done it before, they will not be perfect on their first try. They probably won’t be able to do it at all. However, after many failed attempts and days to even months of progressively getting better, eventually they will be able to nail it. The only way a writer will be able to better their pieces and writing process as whole, is to accept the fact that not being successful on your first try is normal. Not allowing failure to hinder your motivation and writing is something students should learn at a young age and carry themselves with them throughout life. Once I read Brooke and Carrs piece I realized that this is not something to be scared of, but something that I am going to have to encounter to allow myself to be better. Anne Lammots story also stuck with me in the fact that without something shitty at first, you will never be able to improve. So whether it is driving a car, doing a backflip, or writing that 8 page essay, remember that you cannot improve and you cannot succeed without failure.
