How do expert (creative) writers write? A literature review and a call for research

ABSTRACT What knowledge and skills will help our students to improve the way in which they perform the activity of creative writing? In the fields of composition studies and educational psychology, one way of answering this question has been to study the ways in which expert writers perform the activity of writing. In this paper, I review some of the literature on general expertise and writing expertise by proposing nine theses on three dimensions of writing expertise: (1) the social processes that lead writers to be recognised as experts, (2) the psychology of writing experts, and (3) the writing processes in which expert writers engage. The pedagogical implications of these theses are discussed. Likewise, I discuss a number of directions for further research in each of these areas. Compared to academic and professional writing expertise, creative writing expertise has received very little academic attention. Therefore, far more research will be necessary to understand the domain-specific knowledge and skills that expert creative writers use to become recognised as experts and to perform the activity of writing. This review sets the stage for future research by reviewing what we know about writing expertise generally while revealing how little we know about creative writing expertise in particular.