9 Must Have Characteristics Of A Writer

It is very difficult to know whether you are a good writer or a bad one. Or do you actually possess the characteristics of a writer.

But you can definitely claim your title as “Author” if you exhibit the same behavior as other successful writers do.

As I’ve spent the last six years doing this, I learned a lot along the way.

Though I know a lot about writing, I can’t claim to be expert so have made it my mission to learn from others.

I learned a lot from successful writers and there are few things which draw the line between successful writers and the unsuccessful ones.

There are set characteristics of a good writer which revolves around some common practices.

For them, it is their daily rituals that separates them from the common writers.

These qualities are essential for an effective writer because they spotlight a certain devotion and openness–both of which are necessary to achieve writing greatness.

Characteristics Of A Writer

There are certain characteristics of a good writer which they will always have irrespective of the niche they are in.

And even if you have these qualities you will completely understand the statement “What makes someone a good writer?”

A good writer must have the following qualities:

1. Discipline

Writers have a unique quality of maintaining discipline.

This is because they have to evaluate, write and re-write the same piece of content over and over again.

And this requires great discipline.

As normal people may get frustrated.

So if you are disciplined then you definitely possess one of the characteristics required to be a great writer.

2. Passionate Reader

A good writer is an avid reader.

It is all the readings that inspire a writer to write.

They always read with a more deep purpose. They try to understand the author’s plot and mentality behind those writing.

It helps them understand the nuts and bolts of writing.

So if you are passionate about reading then you can make your way to become a great writer.

3. Thinking Outside The Box

Think about the author like J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) with amazing fiction novel.

The ability to create something amazing distinguishes great writers from mediocre once.

The reason why Harry Potter became a huge success was because the author was thinking outside the box.

These weren’t places that existed. She created a whole world with her imagination.

And that’s why great writers always think outside the box.

This is what separates their stories from others.

4. Sleep Deprived

Most writers are sleep deprived.

Some of them are able to write for 1-2 days continuously without sleeping.

Though you should take proper sleep and by just staying awake you can’t create a masterpiece.

But there are times when writers became so devoted to their work that they forgot everything, even sleeping.

And for some writers night time is the perfect time to write. It is quiet and free from distractions.

Whilst sleep deprivation is not of itself a must for a great writer, great writers can create their best works when in the zone. When they are focused and the idea is at their forefront of their mind. The message here is good writers don’t disrupt that even for sleep!

5. Patience

As a writer, you will have to have lots of patience.

A writer has to face a lot of rejection before getting published for the first time.

J.K. Rowling was rejected many times before publishing the Harry Potter series. But she didn’t lose hope. She had patience and had complete faith in her work.

Apart from that, there will be times when you have absolutely nothing to add to your manuscript. Or days when you realize the end is far away and the only thing preventing you from finishing is white space.

Some days you may experience writer’s block. If this happens frequently to you, read my article on overcoming writer’s block which may help.

And in those days, it is only when you are patient that you can finish your manuscript.

This is how a writer survives in this competitive world.

6. Multi-Talented

Multi-talented is the most common characteristic of a writer as they are also indulging in other activities of book marketing, editing, and being present in book launches.

A writer must have a vast knowledge of book promotion and marketing as well as social media promotion, especially if they are a self-publisher. Even if their work is published through a publishing house, they’d like to see the following they have.

A personal figure voice generates more sales than a brand voice, which always seems monotonous demanding only sales.

And nowadays the writers have to do Live videos on Facebook as well as on Instagram to reach more of an audience.

They are now growing rapidly and independent from book publishing houses for generating sales.

Now they can sell their books by themselves.

This, in turn, has given rise to many Self-Published authors.

And self-published authors and writers are more multi-talented than those who always rely on traditional publishing.

7. Writers Can Express Ideas Clearly

In good writing, everything makes sense and readers don’t get lost or have to reread passages to figure out what’s going on.

Focused writing sticks with the plot or core idea without running off on too many tangents and a good writer makes that happen.

They have this superpower to take you to an imaginative place and can provide every detailed description of such place. And the main thing is that you can understand it. Feel it.

A writer can easily connect the dots.

This is the most amazing characteristic a writer possesses.

8. Attention To Detail

A writer can explain every idea clearly because they pay attention to every detail.

This attention to detail not only makes them fantastic editors who can spot the smallest grammatical error during a read-through, but it adds a special touch to their writing, too.

No descriptive detail gets left behind.

9. Open To New Things And Ideas

Writers are open to new ideas and changes because it enables them to improve their writing, though it can bruise their ego. 

But being open to new things, feedback and ideas can prove very important if coming from readers, reviews, editorial staff, proof readers, etc.

They are the ones who can improve the manuscript quality which in turn will improve sales.

Conclusion

These are some of the characteristics of a great writer and in my view, even if you are just starting out, every writer will possess some of these qualities.

Of course, it’s not mandatory that you have the same set of characteristics to call yourself a Writer.

But there are some characteristics which you should definitely have like being imaginative, patient, attention to detail, etc as these are mostly found in every writer I have worked with or studied.

Agree? Are there other characteristics of a writer that I have missed?

Comment below to share your views and ideas.

You may also like to Read: Why you should write a book.