While I think I might agree with Boice in theory, I just don't know about it in practical situations. For one thing, while it is true that many great writers have gone mad and had mental breakdowns due to their maniac ways, it remains that they were great writers. While certainly not all writers have proceeded in such a way, the fact that many have points to something.
When it comes to academic writing, however, I think Boice's advice is more applicable, even if he does overstate his case. The idea of stepping away and being less attached to your work is certainly necessary in order to properly revise and cut even those parts we think are great or that we put a lot of work into.
One area where I think Boice is wrong, however, is in showing others early work. While Boice advocates this in order to get past the ego, I would argue that the ego needs some protection here. Writers (academic or otherwise) are often fragile beings. If your work gets criticized too much at an early, unpolished stage, it might convince you that your project is less worthy than it is. I've had a long standing rule that no one reads my first drafts, and I mean no one. I have a 300 page novel that I've written and even my wife has only seen the first chapter of it--since that is the only part I have a second draft of.
It is different with creative and academic writing. I do both. The rules are different. While I don't write poetry I am sure that is different yet again. While there is creativity and organization in both creative and academic writing, the priorities of each differ, and so must the rules.
I agree about showing early work to others, and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. I suppose it could be useful for some people (Boice seems to find it useful), I don't know of anyone who would consistently find it useful to let other people see the work that they do while it's still in its infancy. Freaks me out just thinking about it.
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