Literary Glow-Ups

“I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it.”  

—Chinua Achebe 

Even authors with critically acclaimed debut novels get better with practice. Here are some authors who have progressed and “Glown-Up” throughout their literary careers: 

Rick Riordan  

Big Red Tequila (1997) -> Trials of Apollo (series finished 2020) 

Before Percy Jackson ever existed, Rick Riordan wrote an adult novel called Big Red Tequila about Tres Navarre, an unlicensed private eye based in San Antonio who attempts to unravel the mystery of his father’s murder. Filled with Riordan’s signature humor and twists, this novel proves a nice treat for mystery fans.  

Riordan’s latest work is a spinoff to Percy Jackson called The Trials of Apollo where the Greek God Apollo turns into a human and quests to receive his Godship back. The Trials shows a refined evolution of exploring the theme of identity explored in his earlier works as well as his most dynamic and diverse main cast yet.  

Jasmine Warga 

Here We are Now (2017) -> The Shape of Thunder (2021) 

Jasmine Warga’s first book is a YA contemporary called Here We are Now that follows a young girl named Taliah. One day her estranged father appears on her doorstep, and she travels with him as a bonding experience to meet her dying grandfather. This novel captures the beautiful themes of family, truth, and love. However, the relationships adjacent to those of Talia and her father lack as much depth.  

Warga’s middle grade novel Shape of Thunder dives into the relationship between two ex-best friends Cora and Quinn as they both process the grief of Quinn’s brother killing Cora’s sister in a school shooting. This novel combines the effectiveness of the narrative format explored in Here We are Now and the ability to tell a powerful story in a short amount of time from her first middle-grade novel told in free verse, Other Words for Home. 

Cassandra Claire 

City of Bones (2009)-> Chain of Iron (2021) 

Cassandra Claire started the Shadowhunter chronicles in 2007 with City of Bones. City of Bones introduces Clary Fray as she struggles to find her place among the demon fighting Shadowhunters as she and her best friend Simon and new Shadowhunter friends search modern New York to find her missing mother. This book has a ton of worldbuilding that occasionally slows down the plot and character development. 

Claire’s latest installment of the Shadowhunter chronicles is called Chain of Iron. Unlike the original Mortal Instruments series, Chain of Iron and its predecessor Chain of Gold take place in Edwardian London and follows a group of characters as they attempt to stop the Greater Demon Belial from taking earth for his own realm. This series vastly improves on the depth of characterization and has seamless worldbuilding that does not detract from the pacing.  

Marie Lu 

Legend (2011) -> Skyhunter (2020) 

Marie Lu’s first novel Legend is a YA dystopian novel following fifteen-year-old wealthy military prodigy June and fifteen-year-old slum-raised criminal mastermind Day. The two work together after Day is falsely accused by of killing June’s brother by the Government. The action scenes and the novel itself are fast paced and tight. However, certain aspects on the worldbuilding border dystopian cliché.  

Skyhunter accompanies Talin, a refugee turned powerful military Striker that defends the last free nation, Mara. Everything changes when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front and Talin feels like they will either dismantle or save the resistance. This book is filled with Lu’s signature fight scenes and expert plotting, and the world building is her most complex yet. 

Brit Bennett 

The Mothers (2016) -> The Vanishing Half (2020) 

The Mothers follows Nadia Turner as years later she reconciles the choices that led her to an abortion at seventeen. This story discusses the theme of love by exploring the longing of friendship, maternal, and romantic love. The characters and emotion create beautiful storytelling, despite a few plot threads being left behind.  

Even though she has only released two books, Bennett has increased the emotional effectiveness of intertwining storylines. The Vanishing Half accompanies runaway twin sisters over multiple generations as one sister returns to live in their predominately Black hometown with her daughter, while the other passes for white and lives with her white husband who knows nothing of her past. 

Stephen King 

Carrie (1974) -> Later (2021) 

Stephen King’s first novel is the iconic 1974 novel Carrie. The novel delves into a young girl named Carrie who is bullied at school and abused at home. Once she discovers her telekinetic powers, she decides to get revenge on her tormenters. Carrie is a horror classic, but even King himself is critical of making Carrie’s main characters likable.  

Flash forward 62 novels to King’s newest novel published in March 2021 called Later. Later follows Jamie who is born with an unnatural ability but wants nothing more to be a normal child. However, an NYPD detective recruits him to help pursue a person threatening to kill from beyond the grave. King’s writing shines with honesty as he explores death and adolescence with a simple and effective plot line.  

Glowing Up Your Own Writing 

Each of these writers have embarked on their own journeys on making their writing “glow-up,” and are still improving. While engrossed in our own drafts, it can get easy to lose perspective on personal progress. Even authors with New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize winning debut novels still have areas to improve on their craft. Good writing is a process instead of a destination, which means that craft improves with every piece of writing.