My high school theatre teacher refused to give anyone a grade of A+ or 100. His reasoning was that no matter how good you are, there’s always room for improvement. My supervisor at work is also of this school of thought.
I say they’re right. Pretty much the only time I would disagree is in math. The only way 2+2 does not equal 4 is if you’re reading 1984.
But for writing? If you think you’re the best you can possibly be and don’t need to improve, well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
I’m not saying that a writer needs to be like George Lucas and always need to change something. But always work harder to make the work better each time. Most of the authors I love to read do this-each book gets better than the previous, both in the writing and in the storytelling.
People always have weaknesses that could be improved. Me, I’m bad at endings. So much so that I never really end anything. They all stop abruptly or just trail off.
When they’re not put aside unfinished, that is.
The plus is that improvement comes with practice. Kinda like regular time on a treadmill improves stamina and endurance.
Hey look, I brought it back to exercise. And ended abruptly.
