ABSTRACT
Fixed mindset' people regard difficulty as a sign of weakness and mistakes as a sign of failure, whereas 'growth mindset' people regard difficulty as a welcome challenge and mistakes as an opportunity to learn. Apprentice writers who have received copious praise all their lives may tacitly believe that all critical feedback is 'bad' and that being asked to revise is a sign of weakness. Cultivating a growth mindset is the first step toward teaching them to think like professional writers, who welcome rather than resist suggestions for lifting their game even higher. Generally speaking, however, the more elegant and persuasive a piece of writing, the longer and harder the author has labored to get it right. Writing stylishly is a matter of making intelligent choices, not of slavishly adhering to disciplinary conventions or obeying rigid rules. Stylish academic writers regard writing as an artisanal activity, not merely a transactional exchange.
