Some musings on the creative process

My son is taking a creative writing class this quarter at his college. His initial enthusiasm is meeting with frustration at this point, as he is trying to come to terms with re-writes of drafts. I saw his frustration, as he was working through the process of a draft which did not seem to satisfy him ,neither in style or content. We started talking, and I was trying very hard to keep up with his list of concerns. Nothing I had said so far seemed to encourage or comfort him. We seemed to be going around in circles, much like his story, he concluded. Finally, this idea came to me, as we were literally laboring through some attempt at resolve and consensus. I said, listen, writing, or the creative process in general, reminds me of giving birth. You have done your part to take good care of your "baby", you made it all the way, and your water broke, and now you are going to go through labor, and deliver that "baby" as best as you can. It is going to be born. You can breathe ,and push, and things will go from there, with a lot of effort and  good will. Now, every "baby", every story in your case, is different. Some stories will come easy, other will fight you all the way, yet others will be complicated, and will require a lot of assistance to make it. Others will be stillborn, no matter your efforts. You will have to trust the process at one point to get you through, and accept the results. No story is like any other, and your disposition will change, as will your energy, and will, with each. Work hard, but learn to trust your instincts and your strengths and talent. With each story, a certain amount of confidence and experience will come. Also, remember to enjoy the process! There should be an element of fulfillment and joy in the process and its completion. How it will be judged should not be of paramount importance, not to the point where it stifles your creativity. You are taking a writing class, I reminded him, not a re-writing class. You are a perfectionist, and that is admirable, but do not throw out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. I am not sure if any of what I said sunk in. Perhaps it was weird to be telling this to my son, who, after all, will never get pregnant and have a baby, but I was hoping the imagery made sense to him. At least, it had him listening and calmed down. I am hopeful, and he seemed so too. In my case, my poems are the ones I agonize over. I write and rewrite them in my head over a period of sometimes years, before I finally let them go and write them down in a process that is both nerve wrecking and exhilarating. I am sure every artist has their demons to contend with, and their way of taming them. I found mine, and I wish my son, as a young aspiring writer, all the best in finding his way.