Stages of Talent Development in the Field of Creative Writing among Writers of Stories and Novels: The Influence of Chronological Age, Internal Factors, and Environmental Factors

Abstract

The study investigated the stages of talent development in the field of creative writing among story and novel writers, to examine the influence of chronological age, internal factors, and environmental factors. We used a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological design and conducted in-depth interviews with writers and novelists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There were 21 participants (18 males/3 females) whose ages ranged from 35 to 72 years, with an average age of 53 years. After processing the qualitative data, we identified three stages of talent development with different time frames. Each stage is affected by environmental and psychological factors that contribute to developing creative writing talent and reaching excellence. Through the analysis, we estimated the timing for the beginning and end of each stage and the factors that affect them; five factors affected the first stage, and three factors affected each of the second and third stages. We also found mutual correlations between some factors,  and independence among others. Based on the findings, we discuss how these factors work according to the model’s assumptions, and the assumptions that support participants’ success in dealing with challenges and approaching exceptional excellence. Finally, we put forward a number of recommendations.