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?
Jens Porup says
Honesty.
countdowntocontract says
Persistence..and loving writing so much that you would do it even if you were never published or paid for one word!
Deb says
A love of reading.
Sommer Leigh says
Curiousity.
Stephanie Garber says
Commitment.
Like many of the other commenters, my first thought when I read this post was that you need to have love or passion. But, without commitment there will come a day when those qualities may not be enough.
I always think of writing as a relationship. And in every relationship at some point the love or passion disappears. That's where commitment comes in. Without commitment it would be easy to leave writing behind and find a new love, one you're not tired of, or that has yet to reject you, so it seems perfect and flawless and easier.
But if you're committed to writing then no matter what you feel you will sit back down at your computer, your typewriter, yellow legal pad… whatever… and start writing again, until the love returns.
Sommer Leigh says
Curiosity.
I superfail at spelling today.
Katrina says
33.3 percent passion; 33.3 percent determination and 33.3 percent talent.
Cathy Yardley says
I'm going to go with surrender. You need to let go of all of the "common sense" that tells you it's crazy to be a writer and that you'll never succeed. You need to let go of the plot outline that got you started in order to get to the organic thing your novel wants to become. Then you need to let go of the novel itself to let it make its way in the world. And you really need to let go of the outcomes once the novel is published: you need to do the footwork of promotion & marketing, but ultimately, there's so much out of our control. So yeah — long story short, surrender.
Rebecca says
Perseverance. That's one quality all writers have in common. Even those who sell their first novel on only a sample chapter to the first place they send it, they still had to finish the darn thing. People say that writing a book is like running a marathon. I disagree. A marathon is finished in one day. A book never is. In the end, all writers, regardless of the passion they have for their subject or the quality of their writing, have persevered and finshed a book.
Ann Philipp says
I agree with those that say curiosity and madness. But I write to keep the madness at bay. Unless I need it, then I invite it over.
Sean Thomas Fisher says
The talent to recognize a great "what if" situation and then turn it into an amazing story.
Mira says
The most important quality a writer can possess?
I love all the answers, and especially resonate with honesty, passion and vision.
I might add: the longing to express ones truth, to have that truth be heard.
Will says
Determination is always good, as are the other qualities mentioned in the comments. But I'd have to second Guilie and Matt Larkin and go with "creativity." Without that, what would we have to offer?
I think Sean Fisher has a good point as well. If we can't see something totally innocuous and think "what if," we can't truly surprise the reader with something out of the blue. We need to have unique insight if we're to bring anything new to the table.
Beverly Diehl says
Toss up for me between determination/persistence and talent.
I've met really talented writers who just don't stick with it, though they could be GREAT if they did. However, I've also met writers with no talent, no "ear" who continually turn out terrible work over and over again, without ever improving, or even recognizing that their work stinks.
(Not that I'm giving myself airs – my work was amazingly bad, too, but it is improving. Writing in Flow
Jonathan Auxier says
I'm seeing two types of answers in these comments:
One set that focuses on the act of DOING the work — answers like "persistence," "passion," and "determination." While important, I'm not sure they cut it because these traits are necessary for success in ANY field.
The other set of answers are more about the personality type of a writer — "honesty" "bloody mindedness" and "curiosity." All very true, but they don't really account for the DOING of work (the way that words like "persistence," "passion," and "determination" do).
So how to connect the practicality traits with the personality traits?
For me the intersection between the feeling and doing comes down to one thing:
"Feeling misunderstood."
Every time I've sat down to write something, it's because I feel fundamentally misunderstood by those around me. Writing is a chance for me to articulate all the things going on inside me in a way that *I hope* will make sense to others.
The good news is that this never goes away. As of last week, I finally have my first novel in the world(!), and every time I read a minor quibble in a review, I feel the same burning shame and frustration that filled me as a child whenever a teacher misunderstood what I was trying to say.
It's that feeling of being misunderstood that pushes me to write another book. And another. And another.
EDL says
Like so many of the other commenters, I say whatever combination of dedication/tenacity/insanity makes you sit down and write every day and keep going even after you have to make 100-page manuscript cuts. I know so many amazingly creative people with wonderful ideas for novels, but very few have that ability to write it all down.
Kristin Laughtin says
Discipline/dedication. That's what will keep you improving your craft and reaching out for your goals. If you're only doing one of those two, you're not going to achieve your dream (assuming that dream is to get published, not just to write).
Katherine Hyde says
Determination is important—even crucial—but it's hardly specific to writers. Anyone who wants to succeed in any field needs that.
I think the most important quality for fiction writers is the ability to be totally, gut-level honest about themselves and other people. If you can't get down to that level with your characters, your fiction won't be worth reading.
Anonymous says
Sincerity.
No matter what the subject matter, unless the writer dares to look inside him and write about the things that concern him, the final product will come out as superfluous and uninteresting.
If, on the other hand, he writers with sincerity, even if it is all fiction, his work will capture the readers' attention and hopefully steal their hearts.
Aimée Beatrice Jodoin says
Hmmm, I don't know. I don't have much determination or persistence all the time… I'm going to have to say passion. Passion for art, or at least for writing, that is the thing that keeps writers writing, I think.
Hillsy says
Healthy Self-Confidence.
I think a lot of positive traits spring from that.
Carla Marvin says
My answer is "consistency". No matter what your dream is as a writer, nothing will ever happen if you are not consistently writing! Being consistent often requires many other things, like dedication, motivation, desire, etc…but it's the constant writing that will actually take you places. You can't get something published (assuming that is your goal) if you haven't written it. Write now, edit later. Get the general ideas down and you can go back to fill in the blanks or patch up the grammar later. To be a successful writer, you have to do one thing: WRITE! 🙂
bcomet says
I think the most important quality a writer can posses is love of story.
Darley says
I know it's been said, but discipline. I just don't think you can be a writer without it.
Anonymous says
Respect. The single most important quality of any successful writer; really, of any successful artist.
Many others here have quoted things like perseverance, determination, discipline, etc. All these are byproducts of respect.
When you respect the art and the challenge of writing, then you treat like a vocation that demands your maximum effort.
But we need to also remember the other lesser advertised byproducts of respect. Things like humility, a sense of humor, and the much overlooked gratitude.
Sheer talent might grant you some of the rewards that would traditionally require perserverance, determination, and discipline. But without respect, you'll come to see your success as something owed, rather than something earned. The result; arrogant and dim-witted one-hit wonders who's flash of success caused them to self-destruct.
But if you respect the difficulty of writing; if you resepct both those who pan and praise your writing; if you respect the sacrifice; then you'll find success wherever your writing takes you.
-Bill
Anonymous says
Not taking yourself too seriously.
It's a job. It's work. If you can figure out a way to get published, you've done something right. If you can figure out a way to reach enough fans and sell enough books to make a few bucks, you're doing okay. If you can keep doing all this for years, God bless you.
But it's just a job like teaching, selling houses, and baking bread. And if you start thinking you're an artist and bullshitting the troups with how important you are, you're in trouble.
Stephanie Barr says
Good product.
If you're not writing good stuff, the rest doesn't matter.
Jeffrey Ricker says
For myself, it's the ability to shut my browser window, turn off my computer and phone, and pick up a pen and focus.
Michelle Levy says
To answer this I shall quote Galaxy Quest. "Never give up, never surrender!"
Bryan Russell says
Ability – that's the quality you find at the intersection of talent and persistence.
Steve Westover says
The 3 P's- Patience, Passion, Persistence
K L Kerr says
I'd have to say 'resilience'. Or the ability to consume massive amounts of alcohol.
Kate Austin says
I have to go with the three p's – all of which have already been mentioned: patience, persistence (aka perserverance) and passion.
Kate
Anonymous says
Humility. You need it to respect your audience and to be open to critique.
Lynda R Young says
Most important quality for a writer? The ability to keep writing whether or not they are inspired.
What writers have most in common? self-doubt 😉
Ben Campbell says
Death. For me, a writer has to die a few times before effectively and creatively write.
Anonymous says
Hung.
Linda Godfrey says
I think the writer's chief asset is a deep and irresistible compulsion to tell stories. Success then comes from learning to tell these stories in an elegant and compelling way.
brianw says
resiliency. The ability to bounce back from a bad day, harsh criticism, and anything else that life or writing throws your way. A writer must learn to bend and not break, give but not give in.
Oh, and all that other stuff people said too. They kind of go hand-in-hand. One thing doesn't make a writer:)
Jil says
These are all good but for fiction first comes imagination. As Einstein said,"Imagination is more important than knowledge." Without imagination writing would be like precisely and energetically dipping into a well which has no water.
Toby Neal says
Ridiculous amounts of hubris. Unflappable hope. Dogged, relentless perseverance. Above all, courage. Anything worth writing is gonna hurt.
robinC says
Persistence and a sense of humor.
Some extra spending money doesn't hurt either.
gonnif says
Insanity.
gonnif says
Insanity.
It's a sort of package deal. With insanity, there's passion, creativity, and humour. I don't think you could ask for more!
Though, I believe that anyone can be a good writer. You don't have to be a certain type of person. You just need to be able to express yourself in words, and voila!
Bryce Daniels says
A lot of people are talking about persistence, passion, tenacity, and the like.
I would agree, but only to a point. If we are talking basketball, a player can improve his free-throw percentage by practicing and never giving up.
But you mentioned artists. Here's the difference. A writer can see the arc of the ball and hear the swish as it drops unimpeded through the net. BEFORE it leaves his hands on a trial-and-error trajectory.
So I'm going with ABC's insight. Or vision. A way of looking at the world and creating his or her own with words.
Adam Heine says
You took mine, Nathan. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
kdrausin says
Jonathan, I don't really get what you're saying;)
Lydia says
A gut that scoffs at the very idea of antacids.
Tammy says
Imagination and a word processor.
Art Rosch says
It helps to be madly in love with writing. There are so many writers in the world today that chances are no one will ever read my work, or your work, or yours. I keep going because I'm madly in love, it's that simple.
I love to write, even more than I love to be read.