1. You can teach writing.
This happens
when you have gathered and studied enough knowledge on writing that you can
teach on writing topics without completely relying on others. You can pull from
your own experience to help those who are not quite as advanced as you are.
There may still be the occasional beginner’s work that completely baffles you,
but on the whole you can identify or recognize what an unpolished work is
missing and how to fix it.
2. You’ve started to run out of ideas.
There is a
creative high that comes from being a beginner and intermediate writer. But as
you move through the steps growing deeper in your writing style and
personality, there comes a time when you realize you don’t have as many ideas
as you used to. The possibilities of writer’s block loom right around the
corner and things don’t flow as well as you remember they did. This though is a
sign that you have matured. You’re more careful because you don’t want to waste
your time with an idea you know you won’t use later.
3. You have worked on a piece of your
writing until you are sick of looking at it.
This is
especially important because it means that you cared enough about your writing
to want it to be perfect. So you worked and worked on it. You added a word here
changed a word there and then changed it back. You’ve done this so many times
that you are now certain your piece will never be perfect and it makes you sick
to look at it. You are right it may never be perfect, but as Leonardo da Vinci
said, “Great art is never finished only abandoned.”
4. You know what works for you.
Wading
through the flood of advice on writing out there is difficult, but you’ve tried
the different approaches: Outline vs. Creative flow, Character interview vs.
Just see how it goes, or Index cards vs. Notepads. You have recognized a pattern
in the way you craft a piece whether you should start in the beginning and move
along linearly or jump around writing whatever scene you have the passion for.
You know what makes your writing easier and what makes writing more like work.
And because of this you have become a sufficient professional.
5. You can write even when you’re not
inspired.
It is normal
for a writer to write when inspired, when the ink flows through page after
page, but to write when you’re sick, tired, frustrated and uninspired this is
the sign of a mature writer. It takes discipline and self-control to buckle
your pants to the chair and churn out the words. The amount of words is not
important because it’s all about the dedication and determination.
These are
the signs of a maturing professional writer. Have any resonated with you?
