Kinds of Novelist / Feedback

This post took a long time to boil down (and as I've said in the past, hard writing isn't often great). I wanted to classify everyone on Earth in terms of writing, and I think now I've actually managed to do that, but it took a long time to find my approach toward this subject. After some thought, I've managed to whittle down the entire human population to six major categories, with respect to publishing.

1. People who don't want to write a novel.

2. People who are "thinking about writing a novel" and never will.

3. People who have started writing a novel, but will never finish it.

4. People who can kinda write but ignored the submission guidelines - careless writers.

5. People who can't write but did somehow pump out and submit a novel.

6. People who can write and have submitted a completed novel.

I like to think that I fall into the last category. My fear is that I'm somehow in category 5 however, and that don't even know it.

I think about this type of thing a lot. I look around at people that I have met and ones that I see around the city, creative ones especially. I try to imagine how writing effects their lives, I wonder how many of them have thought about or tried writing a book of any kind. I try to consider myself a normal guy, at least when it comes to talent, basically because I have no other solid standard with which to judge myself.

In the absence of actual professional appraisal of my work, in this kind of uncriticized limbo, my mind starts chasing these rats inside my head.

I'm the type of writer that thrives on and adapts to feedback. I absorb what I hear and change my work accordingly, making the changes within the parameters of my own style.

Example: for some of the chapters of my manuscript, especially the latter ones, I had my wife read over my shoulder. Except for the overlooked mistakes, I was sincerely happy with every line in the work. My wife, on the other hand, would find things confusing that I thought were okay. Taking her perspective into account, I'd simply rephrase the sentiment or add a single line, and everything became clear to her, while remaining true to my vision and style.

The drawback of this is that I actually need a second set of eyes to walk me through my own work. It's because of this that not only am I completely for criticism and feedback, I thrive on it. I require it.