In a new post, Janice Hardy asks an important question: How do writers know when their writing is getting better? “I’ve wondered about it, many writers I know have wondered about it, and odds are good you have, too,” she says. “It’s a normal question when what you’re doing is so subjective.”
There’s no objective way to determine the answer. Unlike spelling or grammar, there’s no simple checklist to tell you that you’ve mastered character, pacing, setting, or plot. You can pay an editor, but their opinions are as subjective as your own, if you can even afford to pay for it.
So, what can you do?
- Ask your friends or writing partners. Ask them to be honest.
- Read old critiques of your writing. Are you receiving the same comments over and over, or are your critique partners going deeper into story craft?
- Compare your old work to your new work. It’s hard to be subjective about your own work, but you’ll probably find that the mistakes in your old writing stand out.
Hardy bravely shares examples of her own work, critiquing her own mistakes and how she mastered skills she lacked when she was a new writer.
