Failing Forward – a guest blog by Alton Gansky
Two comments from the interview caught my attention; comments that deal with life and creativity. Author/editor Kevin Kelly brought up a statement Brooks made about some of his early work. Brooks called the IBM 360 OS “the worst computer programming language ever devised by anybody, anywhere.” When Kelly asked him about the frank self-appraisal, Brooks said:
"You can learn more from failure than success. In failure you’re forced to find out what part did not work. But in success you can believe everything you did was great, when in fact some parts may not have worked at all. Failure forces you to face reality.”
This bit of honesty is difficult for some to swallow. People in my profession are often insecure about their work and become defensive. Who can blame them? They work alone and try to create from nothing a piece of work that will entertain, educate, and please not only readers but a phalanx of editors, pub boards, professional reviewers, amateur reviewers, bookstore managers, and more. Sometimes writing for publication seems akin to baring one’s back for flogging. So, we become sensitive souls; tender in all the wrong places.
Writing, however, is a craft and an art, one which requires the writer to have the guts to commit to self-examination. You need to know this: I am the poster boy for insecurity. I always have been. I’ve felt that way in every career I’ve had–and I’ve had several of them. Yet I’ve learned that creative growth comes faster when I focus on what I could have done better rather than what I did right.
Writing is a continuous process of learning. I have trouble reading my books after they've been published. Not because they're bad, but because I keep seeing little "failures."
The second quote—an anecdote—that caught my eye is this:
"Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera once said that his method of design was to start with a vision of what you want and then, one by one, remove the technical obstacles until you have it."
I’ve heard similar statements, but this one hits the bull’s-eye. What do you want from your creativity, from your writing? Can you see it? Does it seem real to you? Good. What stands in your way? Start removing obstacles. Al’s Axion #45: See it, believe it, do it.
Consider Brook’s quotes together: Learn your from your mistakes; start removing obstacles. The key is to learn to fail forward.
Alton Gansky is a professional used-to-be who is now a full-time writer, the author/principle writer of over 40 books including novels and nonfiction work. He is also the director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference (www.brmcwc.com). When not writing he likes to torture hardwood into furniture or capture reality with his Canon digital camera. (Who is he kidding, he's always writing.) www.altongansky.com
7 Comments
Dear Alton,
Thanks. This is great advice for us writers. It’s right in line with what I’m gleaning from a book by Allyson Lewis called “The Seven Minute Difference” and also one by the infamous Tony Robbins. As one of those insecure writer types, I’m reading these in between fiction and how-to’s by Donald Maas.
Powerful article! Thank you!
“I’ve learned that creative growth comes faster when I focus on what I could have done better rather than what I did right.”
I love this line. Tons of wisdom there. And great advice. I’m terrified of bad/mediocre reviews as my debut novel creeps closer to its release. But I also find myself nervous/uncertain about any glowing ones that might come my way. For the reasons you said, but also because I let myself be too affected by either. My prayer is that I would thank God for the good reviews, learn from the bad. Let them both go. And keep on keepin’ on.
I’m not so sure how great a job I’ll do at that….
Good grief. Good stuff here, Al. Thanks for coming onto the blog.
Wonderful perspective. Failing forward! See it. Believe it. Do it. My new poster for above my computer desk. Thanks much, Mr. G.
I’d rather “fail flat on my face forward” than to take “one step forward, two steps back.” At least I’ll see progress, even if it’s while face down on the floor. Loved this post and your advice to “See it, believe it, do it.”
“Fail forward.” Great advice. Everyone fails. It’s part of the human condition. The key is to learn from the failures and continue to improve.
Thanks, Al. Now I’m off to have that motto cross-stitched for a plaque to hang over my computer.