I like the process of writing of the very first draft because for me it is like getting high on a really powerful drug (not promoting drug abuse here)and getting carried away by the imagination to a totally different universe.
The re-writing for me is like a work of a sculptor: you take the gigantic piece of clay that is the first draft and start to shape it into something more beautiful. And I have to say that it is no less captivating than writing the first draft.
Would you advise for or against giving the first (second, third) draft to the beloved one (wife, husband) to read and criticize (given that he/she is just an ordinary reader who has nothing to do with linguistics)?
Thank you @michelle.gent for these tips. You are becoming my mentor in the art of writing.
I read my first and second drafts out loud. I don't allow anyone to read the manuscript until it's tidied up - a lot.
By reading it out loud, I get to hear how it reads too and that helps enormously.
By all means, give your work to someone else to read, Beta Readers are awesome and can give great feedback, but be mindful that it's still YOUR work and advice to "Oooh, if you just changed this, altered that, scrapped the other..." makes it a collaboration rather than solely yours.