Yes, but she isn't talking to or about beginning writers who have not yet learned the discipline of finishing a book. She's talking about herself, an established pro who has already written and published several books, and she's writing to people who are in a similar position. Her advice boils down to: "If it works for you and it's producing books, then don't feel guilty that you aren't following conventional wisdom about how to write." And I think that is eminently sane.
As for pushing past and having a complete draft before doing major revision, that may be something that works for many, and is certainly something that every writer should at least try. But for some other writers the refusal to let yourself revise results in a deep unhappiness with the writing process that can actually shipwreck the entire project. (I found this out the hard way.)
Anyway, it seems to me that the point she's making in the post is that you don't HAVE to finish the book before you revise -- IF you have found that revising on the fly makes you happier and still results in a finished book. After all, having the finished manuscript (by whatever means) is the important thing, no?
By "released" I took her to mean "shared with its intended audience". Whether that's fanfic or your critique group or your editor or whatever. And not that every single piece of prose you ever compose has to be shared with someone, but that if you have put the time and effort into completing a manuscript, then it needs to be sent somewhere and not merely languish in your desk drawer because you're too afraid to send it out.
I do agree about the importance of reading, but that came up in the comments and not in the original post.
no subject
As for pushing past and having a complete draft before doing major revision, that may be something that works for many, and is certainly something that every writer should at least try. But for some other writers the refusal to let yourself revise results in a deep unhappiness with the writing process that can actually shipwreck the entire project. (I found this out the hard way.)
Anyway, it seems to me that the point she's making in the post is that you don't HAVE to finish the book before you revise -- IF you have found that revising on the fly makes you happier and still results in a finished book. After all, having the finished manuscript (by whatever means) is the important thing, no?
By "released" I took her to mean "shared with its intended audience". Whether that's fanfic or your critique group or your editor or whatever. And not that every single piece of prose you ever compose has to be shared with someone, but that if you have put the time and effort into completing a manuscript, then it needs to be sent somewhere and not merely languish in your desk drawer because you're too afraid to send it out.
I do agree about the importance of reading, but that came up in the comments and not in the original post.