As we finish out 2021, I’m also finishing a book. It’s a novel I started writing in January, and now, in December, I’m readying it for the copyeditor.

The other day, a friend of mine said, “You’ve been doing this job for a while now. Has it gotten easier for you?”

It’s a baffling question and one that’s harder to answer than you’d think. I’ve completed six novels. Five of them are on or will be on shelves. And while I’ve learned so much along the way, easier isn’t really a word I’d choose.

But sure, in some ways, it’s a lot easier.

And in other ways, it’s way more difficult.

The Writing Itself

When I started drafting my first novel, I knew very little. Books were my only writing teacher, and yet I had this grand idea that if I buckled down, I could actually get it done.

Reading had taught me that one tried and true strategy was to simply sit down at the computer and make a start. “Just get the words out of your head and onto the page,” the books said.

So I did. I had no preconceived notion of how good the words would be or what a first draft might look like. I hadn’t a clue what would happen in the story, but I wanted to find out. So with just a few characters and a bit of worldbuilding that had fallen into my head, I settled into my chair and I created a story around what little I had.

I wish I still felt that great freedom. To begin with no idea of where I’m headed.

In a very general sense, I still write this way. I discover the story as I go, but I’ve gained another teacher now: experience. Experience has taught me that drafting in this way creates all sorts of extra words and unfocused scenes. It costs me time and energy to correct such things, so I’ve become wary of just dumping words on the page. I do it, but reluctantly.

I don’t want to make extra work for myself, so I move a little slower, and I’ve adopted some plotting tendencies. These make revisions easier, but slow me down in the original drafting phase. And in that way, writing has become harder.

Skill Level vs. Taste Level

Without a doubt, my writing has improved. My prose and my dialogue both. Even my story structure. Like any other skill, you get better the more you do it, and that has definitely been my experience. Looking back at earlier books can be fun, but it’s also a bit sobering. I would do things differently now. I’ve learned.

Getting better at your craft means your skill level rises. Even on my worst day, I’m thinking smarter than I did when I began. My instincts are better. My command of language is better. I’ve been exposed to so much good writing since those early days, and that can’t help but encourage and grow me.

But when your taste in good writing grows more refined, that can lead to feelings of inadequacy and questions like, “Am I actually a good writer? Am I writing things of value? When will I grow up and write important works like so-and-so?” Questions that can creep up on you when you sit down to work. Questions that make clarity of thought and purpose very difficult.

So while I’m better than I was, I’m not as good as I will be, and there’s always tension in that.

Industry Relationships

Back in 2008, when I set out to write my first novel, I didn’t know a single industry professional. These days, I know many. Mostly fellow authors, but also editors and agents, publicists, booksellers, a publisher here and there. I’ve been around long enough that I’ve made friends in the industry and that kind of companionship is so helpful.

These people know the struggle of being a storyteller. We understand the unique challenges of this job and we speak the same occupational language. We share a road, so to speak, and that can keep us going in the right direction.

Or it can paralyze you.

I wouldn’t trade the relationships I’ve made for anything in the world, but when you find yourself surrounded by others with similar goals and skills, it’s easy to compare. You want to measure up every day, all the time, and the reality is we’re all in different places. There will always be those farther along in their craft and in their career. When you find yourself behind, you worry. At least I do.

And while having a writerly friend group can make it difficult to keep your eyes on your own paper, so to speak, the relational benefits outweigh the challenges. So you learn and you grow. You decide to be a good friend come hell or high water. And you remind yourself that your journey is your journey. No one can take it for you.

Compensation and Expectations

I’m getting paid more now. Nothing close to what my time is actually worth, but I’m offered more money for my books these days and that certainly makes things more pleasant if not actually easier.

Here’s some brutal honesty for you: Very few of us authors make enough to support ourselves on our novel writing alone. Authors often have secondary sources of income – spouses and second jobs and freelance editing gigs and conference speaking and such. So, while I appreciate that my work is valued, the compensation bit is such a small incentive in my case it’s hardly worth noting.

I write because I want to. I make great sacrifices in time and energy to get my stories written. And because we live in a social media world, there is an expectation that I’ll be promoting my books actively online. I’ve only been writing with the goal of publication since 2008, but this expectation has grown exponentially since then. Especially during a pandemic when events are scarce, and opportunities to get your books out in front of readers are thin on the ground.

That means I’m working even when I’m not writing. And that wasn’t always the case. So while I’m making more money, I’m working more hours and that’s not easier any way you slice it.

See what I mean when I say it’s a difficult question to answer? As a career, writing will always be both difficult and rewarding. I don’t think there will ever be a time when challenges go away. They just get bigger and more involved.

But we grow to meet each one and, if the effort doesn’t burn us on the whole thing entirely, we become stronger, more established storytellers.

Tell me, is writing easier for you than when you first started? How so? And in what ways is it more difficult?

Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. A sequel to the latter is expected in the fall of 2022.

Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.

It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.

To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.

For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.