Etymological aside: I wonder how many people assume, like I did, that "trailblaze" means burning a path where there was none, when it actually means putting marks on trees or a path for others to follow? https://www.etymonline.com/word/trailblazer Trailblazing in its original meaning is not a destructive or disruptive process, but a communal and communicative one for those who went before to signal a way for others to follow, if they wish. #Etymology
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I bring up the etymology of trailblazing because the singular wording of the question, "which writer" and "the path," makes me wonder if the questioner also believes trailblazing means a single innovator carving out a unique path that can't be ignored.
Whereas, if you look at the etymology of the term, trail blazes are intended to mean a series of marks people could follow or diverge from--suggesting options and giving information, not defining the whole road. You can follow blazes carved by different people, and you're not committed to following someone's marks just because you did last time. It's about layers of communication in a shared space, not a single road ready-made for reaching a destination. I think that's a more fitting metaphor for the the creative process and creative community and many of the answers I've seen appear to be in that spirit, too.
Speaking of Sir Walter Scott, I've seen it said that he was compared to Shakespeare in his time and Danielle Steele in ours. The person who said this does not seem to have considered the possibility that Shakespeare WAS the Danielle Steele of his time, or that she is the Shakespeare of ours.
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