> writing code should be actually seen as part of the "thinking process"
I agree. This is how I work as well. I start coding as quickly as possible, and I fully plan on throwing away my first draft and starting again. I do a fair bit of thinking beforehand, of course, but I also want to get the hidden "gotchas" brought to light as quickly as possible, and often the fastest way is to just start writing the code.
I don't get great results myself from diving into coding immediately. I personally get better results if I have some storyboards, workflows, ins/outs, etc. identified and worked-over first.
But when I do get down to writing code, it very much takes an evolutionary path. Typically the first thing I start writing is bloated, inefficient, or otherwise suboptimal in a variety of ways. Mostly it's to get the relationships between concepts established and start modeling the process.
Once I have something that starts looking like it'll work, then I sort of take the sculptor's approach and start taking away everything that isn't the program I want.
So yeah, a fair amount of planning, but the first draft of anything I write, really, code or otherwise, is something for me, myself, to respond to. Then I keep working it over until it wouldn't annoy me if I was someone else picking it up cold.
I agree. This is how I work as well. I start coding as quickly as possible, and I fully plan on throwing away my first draft and starting again. I do a fair bit of thinking beforehand, of course, but I also want to get the hidden "gotchas" brought to light as quickly as possible, and often the fastest way is to just start writing the code.