YOUR EVOLUTION AS A WRITER FROM BEGINNING TO FOREVER
- Cully Perlman
- 2 days ago
- 12 min read
Not understanding grammar (or, at least, how to fake understanding it). Not understanding you have a story to tell. Overwriting. Imitation. Cliches. Not really comprehending what a plot is made up of (hint: causality). These are all things we can learn by reading books on writing, by writing, by taking classes. Maybe even by watching videos. But like any craft, there are certain things we should be aware of as we progress over the lifetime of pursuing the dream not only of publication but of learning the craft of writing and understanding where we are, and with complete self-awareness, in terms of skill level. Sometimes that’s a difficult task. But we need to be able to know what we don’t know and be okay with that. We have to learn how to avoid getting defensive about our writing (another hint: If you’re getting offended by criticism, you’re probably a beginning writer). Now, I’ll try to be as specific as I can with regards to how you evaluate yourself level-wise in this thing we all love and hate to do: write. I’ve been doing it for over thirty years, and I learn something new every day. I believe that’s how you must be in order to always be advancing toward “mastery,” if mastery is even possible. Personally, I think a lot of writers get close, but if you ask the most respected writers out there, you’ll probably just get a smile from them. The “masters” always believe they aren’t masters. And there’s a reason. So, let’s get started. I hope I can do this topic justice.
YOUR EVOLUTION AS A WRITER FROM BEGINNING TO FOREVER
The beginning writer
Beginning writers are easy to spot. Often, it’ll only take a line or two for someone with experience to realize what stage of writing you’re at, and what they’ll expect to encounter as they read your short story (most writers begin writing short stories, as they are, well, short, and thus less intimidating to attack when learning how to write). I was a beginning writer many years ago, and I recently found a few of my short stories. They were better than I expected, but they weren’t great. There were plenty of “errors” in terms of the unimportance of my dialogue, the lack of a strong plot, zero with regards to character motivations, and so on. But the kernel of a good story was there, and my creative writing professors were kind. It doesn’t take much for me to feel motivated whenever I receive a compliment, so I continued on. Three plus decades later, I’m still at it.
Beginning writers make similar “mistakes.” Like gamblers, there are “tells” that say, “I’m a beginning writer!” Here are some tells you may be a beginning writer:
You start your story (or novel, if you’ve decided you’re jumping in the deep end immediately) with your character waking from a dream. Don’t do that. It works in Children’s fiction and sometimes in YA (Young Adult) fiction, but the chances that you’ll pull it off in adult fiction is slim, and it’s cliché. Also, don’t end your short story or novel in that way either. It defeats the purpose of the rest of the writing.
You think you’re a genius and that everything you write is incredible. Hint, you’re not, and it ain’t. You may be good, but you’re just starting out and very, very few beginning writers know what they’re doing. Be humble.
And since we’re being humble, if you decide to participate in a writer’s group where you work with other writers on your work and on their work, never be defensive about the criticism you’re receiving. You may use their criticism, or you may decide to discard it, but either way, don’t defend what you’ve done. If you’re defending your writing, there’s a good chance it’s because your reader didn’t understand it or because something isn’t working. Either way, nothing screams newbie like getting defensive when offered criticism.
You mimic your favorite book or author’s style. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that when you first start out. In fact, a lot of writers will write/type an entire short story or novel in order to “feel” what it’s like to write that piece of fiction. Personally, I recommend spending the time, at least once, to try it out. Of course, good writers borrow and great writers steal, but you won’t know how to do that until you’ve been writing for some time. Click the above link if you want a better explanation of what I mean by that phrase.
One last thing and we’ll move on, and this one’s important. Writers write. We don’t make excuses for why we don’t write. We sit our butts in the chair every day, five to seven days a week. Or some variation of that. We may write for ten minutes, three hours, or even all day and night—we’re all different, and that’s okay. I personally write most days for three to four hours, and I do it in the morning. Some days I’ll write for ten hours if things are going well. Other days, when life gets in the way, I’ll write for fifteen minutes. But I always write. If I’m working on something, it keeps my head in the game. It keeps me invested. It helps me remember where I’m living in my fictive world. Reading, thinking about writing, jotting notes down, that’s all writing too. Even sitting at your desk staring at a blank sheet of paper is writing. But do it as often as you can. Writing is fun, but it’s also work. Treat it as such and you’ll never regret the progress you’re making.
If you want to dive deeper into what it’s like being a novice writer, I wrote a blog post a few years back titled “15 Signs You May be a Beginning Writer” that you can reference for a little more detail in terms of the tells of beginning writers.
When you first start out on your writing journey, it’s exciting. You’ve discovered something you enjoy, and you understand the power literature possesses. You dive in to create your own world, your own people, your own conflicts, your own dramas. If you can’t stop doing it, you may just be a writer. If you quit for long stretches and feel like you hate the whole process, that’s fine. Do something else, whatever makes you happy. I write because I can’t not write. If you don’t have that passion, find something you are passionate about and go for it. Life’s short; do what makes you happy.
The intermediate writer
Now, I’m just going by my years as a writer when I’m coming up with these categories, but I do have a BA in English Literature, an MA in Literature in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing, have published a good number of short stories in journals, and have written nonfiction for other journals. I’ve also won some competitions for writing and been recognized for my work. Take that for what it’s worth.
So, to the intermediate writer. For me, the intermediate writer stage is when you know what it is you’re supposed to do, but you’re still learning how to do it. You’re able to take the initiative of using your toolset to write, and you understand the fact that writing is a learning process that will last your entire writing career. The intermediate writer knows the mechanics of writing, understands that there’s a story to tell, a plot that needs to be present (even if it’s a little blurry), that plot is about causality, meaning this leads to that which leads to that, rather than just this happened and this happened and this happened without any correlation. The intermediate writer understands that there should be a beginning, a middle, and an end to the story/novel, though not necessarily in that order. They know their work must have a style, a theme or themes, a voice that’s appealing and intriguing to readers, characters with motivations that make sense for the things they do, and so on. Intermediate writers work on dialogue, and they ensure that anything that isn’t absolutely needed in the work is cut. And then there’s the editing and revising of the manuscript, which is a must. No first draft is ever perfect, or even close to it. The intermediate level writer knows this and believes in this and never, ever dismisses the opportunity to make their work better through another revision.
The competent writer
Competent writers are very close skill-wise to intermediate writers, except that competent writers just go. And what I mean by that is that these writers already naturally write with everything the intermediate writer is in the process of learning. Competent writers are like drivers of cars that have been doing it for a long time—when they’re making a left, they don’t think, “Okay, left turn signal on at 100 feet, look in the rearview, look in the driver’s side mirror, slow down, etc.” They just do all of that without thinking about it. It’s second nature to them, this writing thing.
But just because you’re a competent writer doesn’t make you a “good” writer. Competent writers know all the “rules,” and so they’re able to allow themselves to write unencumbered by the things the intermediate and beginning writers may have trouble overcoming. But there are plenty of competent writers out there that are missing the “it” factor. They can write a short story or novel, but they may lose readers after the first line or paragraph or even an entire book. When I write, I want my readers to think. To become introspective. To ask questions of themselves based on the experience they had reading my words. If a competent writer writes a book and it gets put down within the first few pages, what’s the point of having written the book? Sure, the enjoyment of fiction is subjective. You won’t please everyone, and that’s okay. But why not be a great writer? Why not shoot for the stars? Competent writers may be able to write a beginning, middle, and end, but if no one’s reading them because they’re bored, what’s the point of the book?
The “expert” writer
I’m almost hesitant to differentiate the expert writer from the professional writer, but I’ve made peace with my issues on the matter, so I’m going to do just that. See, the expert writer knows how to do it all. They have all the mechanics, they write well, they tell an interesting story, they know the publishing industry, they query literary agents, and they get published. Often, they teach at universities in the creative writing/English departments or at low-residency MFA programs. They may not be pulling in the six figures selling their books, but they have the respect of their peers and are often critically acclaimed, whereas professional writers may make the dough but not have the critical acclaim of other, normally “literary” writers. Take a peek at the New York Times bestseller lists for fiction (or any list out there) and you’ll understand what I mean.
Expert writers are often able to provide insightful feedback to their colleagues and students. They’re “pros” in that they know what they’re doing and they’re confident about it. They have years in the game, have published relatively widely, are always reading (both fiction but also nonfiction and books on the craft of writing, if they’re not writing those books), and they’re just great resources for other writers. Expert writers have the craft down. They can tell you what’s working, what’s not working, what’s missing, what should be missing, and so on. And they produce. They may not be kicking out a book a year like a Michael Connolly or sixty books like James Patterson and his cadre of hired guns are, but their output is respectable. If they were in the medical field, they’d be doctors, not techs. They have more than put in the 10,000 hours to becoming an expert in their field.
The professional writer
And, finally, we reach the professional writers. Professional writers include expert writers, but they (in my opinion) don’t have to teach or hold other jobs. Is it a strictly financial thing? Perhaps. Expert writers are professional writers. And professional writers are expert writers, for the most part. I don’t want to point out any writers specifically, but there are plenty of books out there that probably shouldn’t have been published. I can think of some fan fiction megahits and novels that were so successful they became movies, both of which I personally believe should have been shelved before they’d been released. But that’s just me.
Professional writers have agents and editors, have signed contracts and large advances (or small to medium ones), and they have name recognition. Their publishers are the ones we all know—Penguin Random House, Hatchette, Simon & Schuster, etc. These writers have their books in the bookstores at the airport, at the local Barnes & Noble (if you can still find one), they’re always on the New York Times bestseller lists, and they have tens or even hundreds of people showing up at their book signings and literary events. All of us authors may not want all that, but at the same time all of us authors want that. If not the fame, at least the ability to be able to write and be financially self-sufficient while we’re doing it so we can just focus on the writing.
Professional writers, like expert writers, know that writing is a job. It requires sitting down in their chair (or standing up like Hemingway did), and putting down the words, day in and day out. They do their eight hours or five hours or twelve hours, and they make progress. They have deadlines they need to meet. They may have meetings with publishers, editors, proofreaders, agents, PR folks, and more throughout their days and even nights. In essence, they’re the writers we see in movies living in three thousand square foot lofts in SoHo and Tribeca with windows the size of Mack trucks, whining about “writer’s block.” At any rate, professionals are just that—professional. They know the rules, they know what’s expected of them, and they get the job done. No excuses.
Now that I’ve laid out my take on a writer’s career path/level based on my own experience as a writer, I thought I’d share someone else’s perspective. Over my career, only one of my novels got published along with my short stories and nonfiction. I am currently working on nine other novels that are in various stages of the editing and querying process, but time will tell if those novels ever see the light of day publishing-wise. But I wanted to give a different perspective along with mine, as there are other people and organizations that have slightly different jargon and steps to defining this thing of ours. One of those perspectives is documented in the DIY MFA. According to DIY MFA, a writer’s journey often follows these stages:
Aspiring Writer: The shift from reader to writer, focusing on learning the craft, reading, taking notes, and finding one's artistic voice.
Debut Writer: The exciting, often nerve-wracking stage of publishing a first book, sharing work publicly, and learning to manage a larger audience.
Established Writer: Building a reputation, having a loyal readership, and consistently planning and executing new projects.
Creative Leader: A stage where the writer has a high impact on their genre, mentoring others, and influencing conversations in the industry.
Legacy Builder: Focusing on long-term impact, sharing wisdom, and finding profound personal satisfaction in the creative process.
My take is that there are a lot of other stages between the Aspiring Writer and the Debut Writer, and a giant bridge for most writers between the Debut Writer and the Legacy Builder stage. Most writers, in my experience, don’t get past the Debut Writer stage. It is TOUGH becoming an established writer and then a creative leader and finally a legacy builder. In order to become an Established Writer, you have to have been a Debut Writer, which means you either won a contest, published with a small indie press, or, if you’re lucky, queried your novel to literary agents, was offered representation, and then your book was sold to one of the Big 5 publishing houses or one of their imprints. That path is becoming harder and harder to achieve. More power to you if you’re able to get there, but I’ve been doing this a long time and have been offered representation twice. And it’s led to nothing (my novel was acquired by the acquiring editor for a small press rather than through an agent or contest). That said, if you’re lucky enough to go from an Aspiring Writer all the way through to being a Legacy Builder, congratulations! You’re one of the very few to achieve such success.
Remember, your evolution as a writer from beginning to forever takes time. The 10,000 hour rule doesn't exist for no reason. You have to put the time into the craft as you would when learning anything worth learning. Whether you're a teacher, an engineer, a painter, or whatever. Expertise isn't given--it's earned. Now go out there and earn it.
Cully Perlman is author of a novel, THE LOSSES. He can be reached at Cully@novelmasterclass.com
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