• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Blog
  • Writing Advice
  • Agents and Publishing
  • Self-publishing
  • About
  • Get Editing

What Is the Most Important Quality for a Writer?

August 17, 2011 by Nathan Bransford 161 Comments

Porträt Baudelaires by Gustave Courbet

I’m always fascinated by what makes artists tick.

It’s not always a rational pursuit, in fact it’s usually the opposite of a rational pursuit. It’s not something you can prove ahead of time in numbers or formulas or a plan you know is going to work. You’re operating on gut instinct and some ideas and a whole lot of faith.

So what’s the most important quality a writer can possess? What do writers have in common?

There are a lot that spring to mind, but I’m going with determination.

What about you?

Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: Life of a Writer, You Tell Me

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    August 20, 2011 at 2:59 am

    insanity, humility, follow-through, and talent.

    Reply
  2. R.K. Gold says

    August 20, 2011 at 10:33 am

    Imagination. Without imagination, you can be as determined as you like, but you'll have nothing to be persisten about.

    Reply
  3. Deri says

    August 20, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Can't believe someone called this blog boring. It's one of my favorites. I always look forwards to posts. I think someone is jealous of Nathan's success…

    Reply
  4. Edward Summers aka Roland B. says

    August 20, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    There are many great attributes listed here already, but for me, personally, writing(and music) just seem the light that makes the day worth while. I say love, for your work, for the process, for the journey–waiting for that moment of completion. I beleive an artist should feel just as excited and checked in on word 1 as on word 100,000.

    Reply
  5. Mira says

    August 20, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    Yes, re-posted.

    So, it took awhile for me to think about the mean anon comment and Nathan's response.

    I have a bunch of things to say.

    1. anon 9:28, I wish Nathan was posting more too, for my own sake, but there are many blogs on the internet. You can go to one of those rather than leaving a hurtful, inappropriate comment on a fellow author's blog who gives of his limited time to provide something to you for free. It's fine that you have an opinion, but I hope you'll re-think comments like that.

    2. Nathan is never boring.

    3. Last I checked, there were over 74 likes on this post. So, there you go.

    Reply
  6. J. T. Shea says

    August 20, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    But when the ticking stops, run for cover!

    Anonymous 9:28 am, your comment is boring.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    August 22, 2011 at 2:07 am

    I agree with you Nathan…Determination a very important quality. It is what separates the writers from authors. We can all be writers, but to go that extra step, we need to be entirely unwavering in our decision to be…well, what we are.

    Also, the ability to accurately critique our own work helps.

    Reply
  8. Saturday Sequins says

    August 22, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    Nathan! Oh my gosh! The last time I checked on you, you were an agent who'd just gotten a book deal. And now you're a published writer! I'm so proud of you.

    Hmm. I think the most important quality a writer can have is a practical mindset. Not positive. Not negative. Practical. This means taking an honest look at our work and discovering our strengths and weaknesses. Choosing to own and cultivate what makes us shine and knowing that whatever faults we have, from shyness about marketing to difficulty with dialog, we can overcome them IF! If we work hard and develop a knack for creative problem solving.

    It means knowing that succeeding is probably going to be difficult, that there will be setbacks along the way, but that if we keep plugging along, we might just be rewarded. And knowing that whatever happens, it's worth it just to be able to put that pen to paper or open that Word document every day.

    Reply
  9. Nicholas says

    January 26, 2012 at 7:10 pm

    An observant eye.

    Reply
  10. - -Alex McGrath says

    August 17, 2012 at 4:39 am

    Yes I'd also say "passion". Passion and Persistence are like 1 and 1A. You need to have this burning desire to tell your story and have it be remembered, or you end up being one of those people that never get around to writing the damn thing. And you have to care enough about it to trade your sanity in to make it the best it can be through revision.

    Reply
  11. Wendy Christopher says

    May 30, 2013 at 7:00 am

    For me, I think it has to be that you have to WANT to write, more than anything else you could do instead. It can't be something you feel like doing every once in a while, when the creative mood strikes you; you need to want to do it so badly that the only way people could stop you writing would be to break both your arms. And drug you unconscious – just to make sure…

    If you've got that, everything else you need will come with it.

    Chocolate also helps ;^)

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can’t find what you need or want personalized help? Reach out.

Learn more about me

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
Learn more!

My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

Subscribe!

Subscribe to the newsletter and get a FREE writing, publishing, or marketing course.

Forums

Need help with your query? Want to talk books? Check out the Nathan Bransford Forums
Footer Logo
Nathan Bransford

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Editing Services
  • My Books
  • About Me
  • Blog Directory
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Logo Facebook Logo Instagram Logo
As an Amazon and Bookshop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and Bookshop links are usually affiliate links.