Whilst working away at the day job a colleague showed me a chart called the Gartner Hype Cycle. It’s a chart that plots the experience of users as they learn new technologies, but I immediately saw parallels to my experiences as an aspiring author.
My journey as a writer started with the idea that I’d like to use my endlessly overactive imagination to write an actual story. I’ve always thought up stories – as a child I made up stories about a dragon called Percy and a herd of talking horses, as a teen it was stories about boys (of course!) and then, once I started work, I let that side of myself drift.
Until two years ago. I got the inspiration for a story and I decided to do something about it. This was my ‘trigger’ moment.
So, having decided to embrace my inner storyteller, I enrolled on a Creative Writing course. And it was wonderful, I’d found this amazing new thing, and I loved it.
And that was how things were for a while. And as I discovered more about this writing lark, the more I wanted to write. The curve of my journey accelerated upwards as I discovered the magical world of voice and genre and plot and point of view. I lapped up every scrap of knowledge I could. I practiced and practiced, and I sought feedback from fellow students and my tutor.
Eighteen months later my course had ended. I’d got a Diploma in Creative Writing, a boxful of confidence and a truckload of ambition. I had decided. I wanted to become a published author [this was me reaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations].
Anyway, I’d got an idea for a novel, so I started trying to plot it out. But my idea was too big for my apprentice level of story. The plot seemed scattered and my characters to unruly and headstrong. I became confused, unconfident in my ability, and disillusioned. I’d hit the Trough of Disillusionment. Hard. And it hurt!
So, determined not to give up, I enlisted some help and got some expert advice from the fabulous Writers Workshop (www.writersworkshop.co.uk). I discovered just how much I’d yet to learn. But I was learning again. And it was super fun.
So where am I now?
Well, I structured my storyline and developed my characters last summer, and now I’ve got my first draft in the bag and am working on a second draft. And I’m learning as I go. Every bit of feedback, every page that I revise, is part of my learning journey. And, step-by-step, I’m climbing up the rocky Slope of Enlightenment.
And I’ve decided. Rather than despair at my novice-ness, I’m treating my experiences as my apprenticeship in writing. Afterall, in any profession it takes many years to hone your craft. Why should writing be any different?
Because learning takes time.
And I’m determined to enjoy every step of the journey. Because I bet that the view from the top is breathtaking.
Tags: Arts, aspiring author, Author, Book Writing, Fiction, Gartner, Hype cycle, novel, The Writers Workshop, Writers Resources
