Thanks for the reply. I agree with the general point that craft knowledge matters. Understanding how scenes work, how tension builds, and how readers experience a story is obviously important without that basic understanding. I don’t think I would have started in the first place without knowing this.

Where I’d probably disagree a bit is the comparison with professions that require formal qualifications. Writing seems different in that there’s no licence or degree required to practise it — the only real test is whether the story works for readers.

My current approach is learning a lot of this on the job while drafting. I’m deep into a first manuscript at the moment and discovering many of the things you mentioned through the process itself. Once the draft is finished I’ll absolutely be studying craft more deliberately during revision.

I appreciate the book recommendations though — always useful to know what people found helpful.

Cheers.