Iterative means something acts on something else. It involves a two-way system of response, with the reader/audience participating directly in the changes.

I first encountered this concept when I worked as an administrator at Stanford University, working with computer software programmers. They were always talking about this iteration or that iteration.

I realize now that writing is an iterative process as well. You may question this statement, given the definition of being a writer. A writer sits alone at her computer or desk, writing. She spews words heard in her head onto paper or the screen. Where’s the two way process?

I would argue that writing is iterative in two ways: within the writer and between the writer and readers (who are many).

ITERATIVE WITHIN THE WRITER
First, within the writer, writing is iterative because the writer is constantly (though not always consciously) make choices (see Writing is…Choice for more on this one) based on the writer’s knowledge of the audience’s needs and expectations, the requirements of the genre, and so on.

As has been argued for years, writing is a social activity even though the writer sits alone while composing the material. The writer is constantly questioning herself about her audience’s expectations, needs, existing knowledge, reading level, familiarity with terms, and so on. What does the audience expect from this kind of writing? Will they reject me, and my writing, if I make a controversial statement? Will I stir up some action from others? And do I want that action stirred up?

For example, when I started writing e-books, my first inclination was to write them as a traditional, printed book: 200 pages, indexed, more formal in tone than a blog post. I quickly learned the impracticality of that viewpoint. For one thing, some systems can’t take 200 page e-books. So I learned to break the topic into smaller chunks. Some of my e-books, at 60 pages, are still too long, but chopping them up into two pieces doesn’t make sense for the book, usually a process that needs to be described in a single volume.

ITERATIVE WITH READERS
Writing is also iterative between the writer and others. And many others can be involved in any writing project. Start with those initial readers of the final versions, who critique the material, giving honest feedback to make the material better. Finding good readers for those critiques is essential for any writer wanting to be taken seriously, for most writers become so mired in their own words and ideas that they can’t see if they are truly effective. I’ve been lucky to have gathered a small group of fellow writers around me who critique my books before they go to print (or into cyberspace).

Next, the writing changes with comments and expectations from readers along the publishing route, whether self-publishing or the traditional route. The writing can change drastically with comments from these readers.

And finally, the readers themselves have a say in the writer’s work, in their reviews of the published material, comments on the blog, letters to the writer and publisher about the work, and so on.

All of this feedback is taken in by the writer, who can react as she sees fit: ignore it or use it to learn to be an even better writer.

So there you have it. Writing is iteration. The writer bounces ideas off others in her head and others who respond to the writing, all to make the writing better in her eyes as well as the eyes of the world.

Do you have an experience of the iterative process and how it changed your writing? What voices do you hear in your head when writing that make you change your original words into something else? What comments have you received that you took in to become part of you? Did they help or hurt? What did you learn from the experience? Leave a comment for us to learn from.
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Katherine Ploeger, MA, MFA, is a writer, teacher,  consultant. She publishes practical, process-oriented information for nonfiction writers and screenwriters on her blog, Katie’s Writing Notes.  Also check out her information at http://www.ploegersservices.com.