Write On

Why the End of the Book Is Not the End of the Journey

Therese Walsh

If it seems like it takes a lot of work to write a novel and sustain a career as a novelist, well, it does. It requires ingenuity and dedication; a willingness to hear criticism and develop a gut sense for your story; a hunger for continued growth; a determination to serve the work, even if that means leaving more on the cutting room floor than in your manuscript; and, perhaps most of all, perseverance.

Being a lifelong writer comes with a variety of rewards, but I think one of the most satisfying is recognizing growth over time. Once you’ve finished a manuscript, step back and look at the trajectory of that story, comparing the final draft to the first. Now look at the first draft of your first scene of your first story attempt, and compare that to where you are now. The evolution you see means you’ve grown as a writer, and probably substantially. That change doesn’t go away when you begin a new work, either; the lessons learned in one manuscript carry over into another.

Now consider that every additional project will come not only with its own challenges but its own rewards, its own unique ways of stretching you as a writer. Over time, you may capture what you want to say in fewer drafts; your ideas may become more experimental and your techniques more polished. Maybe it’ll become more difficult to recognize your own growth, but don’t doubt that it’s happened.

I like to think of the writing process like a ladder, with each stage of a book’s creation representing another rung and each new manuscript presenting another full set of those same rungs. Every time you finish one story and start another, every time you complete a hard revision, every time you push yourself to try a new technique, you build self-confidence in both your storytelling abilities and your authorial instinct.

So why would you stop? Keep stretching yourself. Reach for that next rung and then the next. The only limits to this ladder are those you set for yourself, so don’t set any at all.

You have become an Author in Progress, after all.

What will your next page be?

Write on.