We asked some of our Twitter followers what the essential but lesser-known qualities of a writer might be. Here’s some of the thoughts to emerge from that discussion along with some of our own.
1. Patience
Ella P @Ella_Piazzi was first to reply with patience. Whether that’s with regard to the lengthy process of actually completing something as significant as a novel - or the bit that comes afterwards, patience is certainly key. Even with your completed work, you’ll have the editing, the marketing, the querying, the submitting and hopefully everything else that leads to eventually publishing. It’s not a quick thing!
2. Perseverance
It is both a process and an industry where there will be plenty of hurdles and knock-backs. To keep clambering over every bump in the road, you’ll need to call upon deep reserves of perseverance. Every writer’s journey is different though - don’t give up!
3. Passion
Paula Johnston @PJohnstonAuthor suggested passion as well as perseverance. Absolutely! A passion for books, for reading, for words in general perhaps. There’s no doubting that you need to be passionate about your writing in order to dedicate the time and effort required.
4. Humility
Sarah Smith @SaraSmi04400591 suggested both the ability to be observant and also humility to remain teachable. You should always be learning - whether from people or situations which feed your ideas; or from other writers as you constantly become better at your trade. Be forever inquisitive about what you can learn from anyone else.
5. Resilience
Angela Watt @littlewritespac suggested resilience - learning how to get beyond procrastination (see later); being able to shrug off and move on from rejection or a hard critique. Hand-in-hand with perseverance, you will need to be resilient to keep coming back from the disappointments. Few writers fulfil their dreams without needing to overcome obstacles along the way.
6. Discipline
Did we mention procrastination yet? See later! Writing can be a lonely business. It can be fraught with distraction and self-doubt. A good writer will need to be disciplined about committing time to the process, getting words written, having some kind of schedule or routine. A hundred and one things might get in the way but find your own method of being disciplined. Set goals and targets, stick to the same writing space or time of day for writing; find what works for you.
7. Procrastination
Are you even an author if you don’t suffer from enormous procrastination? It’s just part of our DNA. So let’s turn it around and use it as a strength. Think of it like this - you’re not a procrastinator, you’re a ponderer. All that time not writing is actually about pondering ideas and letting them percolate. But really, focus more on being disciplined.
Now, time to get on with some more writing of our own. How many of the qualities resonate with your own skill set? Which ones do you have in abundance and which do you need to work on? Let us know if you agree or if you have any other suggestions to add. Thanks to the initial contributors from our Twitter following. We appreciate your input!