Tier List of Skill Levels for Authors / Writers
-2
Masayoshiii
Gone
So, I decided to make this thread for my own future reference, and it also will help me keep track of where I've been and where I might be some day.
Also, it's my personal opinion on the kind of things that should be expected of writers within my self-defined "tiers".
In case you were wondering how I personally rank myself, just look at the title by my name.
Well, without further ado:
Legendary Tier: Authors of various masterpiece works, instant classics, and well-recognized fictions that have been recognized internationally as Masterpieces of prose, storytelling, setting, and character development. The plots are woven so tightly that you could not find a plot hole with an electron microscope... maybe.
Master Tier: Authors more than one masterpiece work, critically-acclaimed for their mastery over prose, setting, storytelling, and character development. The plots are quite solid, and you will have to work quite hard to find cracks in it... if they exist.
Expert Tier: Authors of high renown, with many best-selling works under their belt and an extensive history as a professional author. Their prose is excellent, their grammar is perfect, and they do not make spelling errors. They might have even written a masterpiece with international acclaim if they are so fortunate. Only the most veteran, skilled writers belong to this tier. And yet, there are those who yet surpass them...
Advanced Tier: Authors with a lot of experience writing, who may or may not have an extensive history as professional authors. They have extremely high skills in writing prose, setting, character development, and plot. They also rarely make grammatical mistakes. This is where many get stuck in a rut and begin writing the same kind of story until their works stop selling. Only a few very skilled and determined writers will break through this tier and move on to become experts...
Intermediate Tier: Authors who have a profound understanding of what it takes to write a great setting, well-developed characters, and intricate, well-planned plots. Their prose is extremely high level, and many of them have moved on to become professional authors, though some have not, either by choice or by the lack of opportunity. This is the skill level that most professional authors possess, at the bare minimum, though there are many exceptions in the case of people who have connections.
Adept Tier: Authors who have spent many hours writing stories, and have probably finished several, but started many others that will never see the light of day. Probably a very frustrating time, as this is when many authors begin to shine and come into their own. Their style becomes more honed, and their skills as a writer are more fine-tuned. This is the level I wish to aim for by the end of this year, hopefully.
Apprentice Tier: Authors who have a rudimentary understanding of all parts of writing, and are able to put together a coherent story with a natural progression. Their skills in prose and character development may still be lacking, but they'll polish those up, given enough time.
Novice Tier: Authors who are still fairly undeveloped overall, and need much work to become good, but have the potential to some day become great.
Cockroach Tier: Authors who have fallen below Novice Tier, either by repeating their mistakes on many occasions or by failing to grow as an author for an extended time, and becoming jaded as a result. This is also the tier for people who are making an active effort to improve and learn, but still have a long way to go before they can be considered worth more than the dumpsters they writhe in.
Dumpster Tier: Authors who have become extremely jaded, stubborn, and set back in bad habits from years of writing the wrong way. They have set ideas on how writing should be, as wrong as they are. They have much to learn if they ever hope to become a decent writer. They may be coming back from their incorrect ways, but they have a long way to go before they're worth anything. I recently managed to move past this stage and take an active approach to improving my writing.
Garbage Tier: Authors who are mired in their own rubbish, resistant to change, and have consistently shown that they do not wish to change. They refuse to listen to reason and believe that their way of writing is the right way and that the world is wrong for criticizing. I was at this tier in my first years of college, about 5 years ago. I don't know many people with this attitude anymore, and I'm glad that I moved on from it.
Utter Trash Tier: Authors who believe themselves to be of High Renown, and place themselves on a pedestal despite their complete lack of elementary understanding of fiction writing, setting, plot, character development, and terrible skills in prose, grammar, and dialogue. They have been praised a lot in their class, but their class of non-writers had likely just praised them out of pity rather than pride. Even teachers once said their works were great, but these words were likely spoken only to keep them from feeling bad about how bad their works truly were. They left High School with a big head on their shoulders and entered college only to be crushed and defeated by their own incompetence within their very first term. I was in this tier once, and I shudder to think that people like me could even exist at this level. Yet, all hope is not lost, as time will make all wiser, should they survive.
. . .
So yeah, it's basically a brief autobiography of parts of my life for the last three Tiers, but I do have high expectations of the people who have skills greater than mine. My skills are probably lacking in several areas even compared to a Novice, and I would say Novices have several qualities I've lost over the years, like a bright disposition, the potential to be great, etc.
I plan to climb up as a writer over this year and the following years, and though I may be setting the bar quite high to become an "Adept-Tier" writer, I think it's worth the effort.
To all people that this thread concerns--You already know me and we talk in discord or skype.
Feel free to derail or insult me to your heart's desire, as you can see this thread is on a roll for self-depreciation already.
Also, it's my personal opinion on the kind of things that should be expected of writers within my self-defined "tiers".
In case you were wondering how I personally rank myself, just look at the title by my name.
Well, without further ado:
Legendary Tier: Authors of various masterpiece works, instant classics, and well-recognized fictions that have been recognized internationally as Masterpieces of prose, storytelling, setting, and character development. The plots are woven so tightly that you could not find a plot hole with an electron microscope... maybe.
Master Tier: Authors more than one masterpiece work, critically-acclaimed for their mastery over prose, setting, storytelling, and character development. The plots are quite solid, and you will have to work quite hard to find cracks in it... if they exist.
Expert Tier: Authors of high renown, with many best-selling works under their belt and an extensive history as a professional author. Their prose is excellent, their grammar is perfect, and they do not make spelling errors. They might have even written a masterpiece with international acclaim if they are so fortunate. Only the most veteran, skilled writers belong to this tier. And yet, there are those who yet surpass them...
Advanced Tier: Authors with a lot of experience writing, who may or may not have an extensive history as professional authors. They have extremely high skills in writing prose, setting, character development, and plot. They also rarely make grammatical mistakes. This is where many get stuck in a rut and begin writing the same kind of story until their works stop selling. Only a few very skilled and determined writers will break through this tier and move on to become experts...
Intermediate Tier: Authors who have a profound understanding of what it takes to write a great setting, well-developed characters, and intricate, well-planned plots. Their prose is extremely high level, and many of them have moved on to become professional authors, though some have not, either by choice or by the lack of opportunity. This is the skill level that most professional authors possess, at the bare minimum, though there are many exceptions in the case of people who have connections.
Adept Tier: Authors who have spent many hours writing stories, and have probably finished several, but started many others that will never see the light of day. Probably a very frustrating time, as this is when many authors begin to shine and come into their own. Their style becomes more honed, and their skills as a writer are more fine-tuned. This is the level I wish to aim for by the end of this year, hopefully.
Apprentice Tier: Authors who have a rudimentary understanding of all parts of writing, and are able to put together a coherent story with a natural progression. Their skills in prose and character development may still be lacking, but they'll polish those up, given enough time.
Novice Tier: Authors who are still fairly undeveloped overall, and need much work to become good, but have the potential to some day become great.
Cockroach Tier: Authors who have fallen below Novice Tier, either by repeating their mistakes on many occasions or by failing to grow as an author for an extended time, and becoming jaded as a result. This is also the tier for people who are making an active effort to improve and learn, but still have a long way to go before they can be considered worth more than the dumpsters they writhe in.
Dumpster Tier: Authors who have become extremely jaded, stubborn, and set back in bad habits from years of writing the wrong way. They have set ideas on how writing should be, as wrong as they are. They have much to learn if they ever hope to become a decent writer. They may be coming back from their incorrect ways, but they have a long way to go before they're worth anything. I recently managed to move past this stage and take an active approach to improving my writing.
Garbage Tier: Authors who are mired in their own rubbish, resistant to change, and have consistently shown that they do not wish to change. They refuse to listen to reason and believe that their way of writing is the right way and that the world is wrong for criticizing. I was at this tier in my first years of college, about 5 years ago. I don't know many people with this attitude anymore, and I'm glad that I moved on from it.
Utter Trash Tier: Authors who believe themselves to be of High Renown, and place themselves on a pedestal despite their complete lack of elementary understanding of fiction writing, setting, plot, character development, and terrible skills in prose, grammar, and dialogue. They have been praised a lot in their class, but their class of non-writers had likely just praised them out of pity rather than pride. Even teachers once said their works were great, but these words were likely spoken only to keep them from feeling bad about how bad their works truly were. They left High School with a big head on their shoulders and entered college only to be crushed and defeated by their own incompetence within their very first term. I was in this tier once, and I shudder to think that people like me could even exist at this level. Yet, all hope is not lost, as time will make all wiser, should they survive.
. . .
So yeah, it's basically a brief autobiography of parts of my life for the last three Tiers, but I do have high expectations of the people who have skills greater than mine. My skills are probably lacking in several areas even compared to a Novice, and I would say Novices have several qualities I've lost over the years, like a bright disposition, the potential to be great, etc.
I plan to climb up as a writer over this year and the following years, and though I may be setting the bar quite high to become an "Adept-Tier" writer, I think it's worth the effort.
To all people that this thread concerns--You already know me and we talk in discord or skype.
Feel free to derail or insult me to your heart's desire, as you can see this thread is on a roll for self-depreciation already.
0
Masayoshiii
Gone
Cinia Pacifica wrote...
I don't know if it's really an IB-tier thread, but okay.Nah, probably more CTFG tier, but I don't know CTFG so who am I to judge.
