an emerging writer no longer
a handful of thoughts on why "emerging" only fits for a season and why maybe "discerning" is a better word...
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Maybe we should swap “emerging writer” for “discerning”
So many writing opportunities (like fellowships, readings, or even residencies) use the language of emerging in their calls. “This is a call for Emerging Playwrights,” the postings say, and they’re usually talking about new(ish) writers, but not too new. I recognize the idea is they’re looking for early career writers, but there’s often a point where it’s unclear how to measure this.
(And as a side-note, if “emerging” means “not well-known,” then I think we should dump the phrase altogether, because “not well-known” is sort of the modus operandi of the majority of writers. Most of us would prefer to be sustainable, not known.)
I feel like I stopped being an emerging writer once I oriented by creative life around the work and practice of writing. I was no longer “an actor who writes” or “a professor who sometimes writes plays on her school breaks.” I became a writer first—other things came second. To me, the way we use the word “emerging” feels a lot like the religious practice of “discernment,” like when someone is discerning whether they should become a monk or a nun.
When you’re at the beginning of it all, when you’re emerging, you are discerning if this will be the rest of your life.