Mastery Quest for Novelists

Maybe it’s the slightly cooler weather, but I’m in back-to-school mode. When I was younger, I always loved going back to school. Now that my children are grown, I have no reason to do back-to-school shopping. But every August it’s the same chorus in my head–Buy new clothes! Purchase fun writing supplies! Dive into a project! Usually, I ignore the siren call.

But this year? I embraced it. I’m working on my own mastery quest for novelists.

It all started with an article I came across on Substack. “Full Product: How to master any craft in 3-5 years (an autodidact’s guide)” by Sam Rinko via Knowledge Lust. The author breaks down the steps involved with pursuing a mastery quest, or a self-directed apprenticeship if you will. I was intrigued and read everything that wasn’t behind the paywall.

A few days later, I read another article on Substack. This one was courtesy of Caroline Bueley via Fairytales by Caroline. “I just completed my MFA in Fiction Writing” shared the ten most important things she learned during her MFA. Loved it!

It got me to thinking about a mastery quest for novelists, and I ended up revisiting the “Full Product: How to master any craft in 3-5 years (an autodidact’s guide)” article and purchasing the full PDF. Worth it.

I’m no stranger to continuing education. I’ve studied books on the writing craft, read articles on publishing (and all things fiction) for over twenty years. Earlier this summer, I made time for exercises to improve specific areas of my craft. Needless to say, an intensive program–one I could control–appealed to me.

So I took a full day and set up a twenty-week self-guided mastery quest for novelists (similar to a mini-MFA), curated especially for my needs. I’m focusing on romance writing, and I’m targeting my weak areas. My plan includes studying six books on the craft of writing, reading twenty classic and contemporary romance novels, studying a series by an author I admire, and working on a project/thesis. I’ve divided it into two semesters.

Your mastery quest would look different than mine. It might be shorter–or longer. It would likely include different books on the writing craft than I chose, and it would surely have a completely different required reading list, and project/thesis.

That’s what I love about my mastery quest–it’s tailored to me.

Yes, I’m still writing full-time in addition to the mastery quest. It means long hours and a brain of mush by the end of the day, and I don’t mind one bit.

People do this in every field. They work full-time and get masters degrees. They handle demanding jobs and pursue time-consuming passions. I figure twenty weeks with 10-15 hours of studying and reading each week won’t kill me.

I’m in week three, and it’s been tough but rewarding. The quest has expanded slightly from my initial plan. I’ve added specific goals for my project/thesis that didn’t occur to me when I was setting up my curriculum. And my required reading list has changed twice. Since I’m in charge, I can switch things up without disappointing anyone!

If you’re like me and get the back-to-school bug every year, consider creating your own mini-MFA or mastery quest. And let me know if you do! I’ll be cheering you on.

What do you do for continuing education? I’d love to hear your strategies!

My new book, His First Country Christmas, releases on September 29th! Pre-order your copy today!

And Creating a Writing Life is always available if you’re looking for encouragement and advice!