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The greatest commonality between writing and programming is that in those statements something happens where that something is a series of actions in furtheranc

The greatest commonality between writing and programming is that in those statements something happens where that something is a series of actions in furtherance of a common goal, a plot. Achieving such often requires refactoring and simplification. The work evolves towards a clarity that is polished only in hindsight and not immediately clear from the cover or readme.md file. It is pretty easy to see how poor or grand some instance of software is if you look at it like a single complete product, like a novel. As to the difference the article mentions revisions of a work. Games are most similar to novels in this regard. Popular game titles don’t evolve but instead release sequels. They may occasionally release patches or contain Easter eggs which is similar to published community support projects like workbooks and commentary from a works original author.

mjw1007 5y ago
On "refactoring" in novels: On many occasions I've heard an author say something like "I got half-way through the book and I found out that one of the characters didn't want to do the thing I'd planned for them, so I had to deal with the plot changing in this unexpected way." I've only once heard an author say "so I had to go back and rewrite the character until they were the sort of person that did want to do the thing I'd planned for them."
- chipotle_coyote 5y ago
  While this is (probably obviously!) very subjective from author to author, I think "the character didn't want to do the thing I'd planned for them" is a good thing story-wise, because it means you really understand your character. The flip side of that, though, is "the character didn't want to do the thing" isn't necessarily a sign that the character shouldn't do the thing. In general, your protagonist is going to have to be pushed out of their comfort zone during a story, and they are not going to like it. Frodo did not start out The Lord of the Rings thinking "throwing this ring into a volcano in Mordor sounds like a lovely few weeks' vacation."

mjw1007 5y ago

On "refactoring" in novels: On many occasions I've heard an author say something like "I got half-way through the book and I found out that one of the characters didn't want to do the thing I'd planned for them, so I had to deal with the plot changing in this unexpected way." I've only once heard an author say "so I had to go back and rewrite the character until they were the sort of person that did want to do the thing I'd planned for them."

chipotle_coyote 5y ago
While this is (probably obviously!) very subjective from author to author, I think "the character didn't want to do the thing I'd planned for them" is a good thing story-wise, because it means you really understand your character. The flip side of that, though, is "the character didn't want to do the thing" isn't necessarily a sign that the character shouldn't do the thing. In general, your protagonist is going to have to be pushed out of their comfort zone during a story, and they are not going to like it. Frodo did not start out The Lord of the Rings thinking "throwing this ring into a volcano in Mordor sounds like a lovely few weeks' vacation."