I’m not sure whether the following is a “normal progression,” or not, but, in terms of time investments — comparing the hours/days to produce a poem or a personal essay, to the months/years to produce a novel — the expanding time scale from poetry to the novel does seem like a progression of sorts. 

And I think that trying one’s hand at the three forms is a good investment, not only in terms of time, but also in terms of creative explorations.  I’ve dabbled in all three, and not sure that this p...