The 7 Qualities Of Successful Writers (2024)

If you want to be a great writer, you need to know which quality do most successful writers have. Here are seven of them.

What dobloggers,non-fiction writers, creative writers andsocial mediaprofessionals all have in common? If they are successful in their work, then they are allgreat writers.

If you are going to become afreelance writerand earn money through quality writing, then you are going to know which qualities do mostsuccessful writershave.

While everysuccessful writeris going to have their own unique qualities that make them great at what they do, there are some that seem to be universal to professionals known for theirgoodwritingskills.

Here are sevenwriting skillsworth developing if you want to fill theblank pagewith exceptional prose.

Successful writershave many qualities in common. Whether they areblogging, writing a novel, composing ashort storyor writing a screenplay, you can expect to see these qualities in each bestselling, high-quality writer:

1. Persistence

Writing ishard work. Not only does the writer have to create thefirst draft, but editing andre-writingcan take many months, depending on the length of the piece.Good writershave the ability to persist, even through obstacles, to finish their writing.

ConsiderJ.K. Rowlingas an example. This famous writertook six yearsto complete Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. If she did not have tenacity, then one of the most impressivebestsellersin children’s literature would not exist today.

2. Stubbornness

It may go hand-in-hand with persistence but agood writerhas to be a bit stubborn. Writers face editors, publishers and critics who will say their work is not good or will get nowhere. They have to be stubborn enough to push past these critics to find success.

Stubbornness is also important when getting past problems likewriter’s block. Staring at the blank screen can derail your motivation, but tap into your stubborn side to keep pushing through thewriting processuntil the words flow again.

3. Timeliness

Procrastinationis the enemy of the writer, and agood writer, especially afreelance writerwho works for someone else, will be on time consistently. When people depend on your writing to help them reach their own goals, you must deliver on time.

Remember, writing has deadlines. You have to meet those deadlines or your clients or publishers will choose someone else and your reputation will suffer.

4. Humility

Thewriting processincludes critiques, and manyprofessional writerscan find this difficult. a little bit of humility helps writers take constructive criticism and grow from it. This allows them to grow from their mistakes and becomebetter writers.

New writers can remember that allpublished authorshave to submit their writing to the pen of an editor. The more aggressive that pen is, the better the final work will be.

5. Research Skills

Writing, including fiction and non-fiction writing, requires research. You must research settings, facts, characters and more before putting pen to paper. Thetop writerson theNew York Timesbestsellerslist are often some of the best researchers out there.

Research takes time, so much of yourwriting careerwill be doing in research, not actual writing.Stephen Kingonce said, “Writers should be archaeologists, excavating for as much of the story as they can find.”

6. Imagination

All types of writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, requires imagination to be successful.Freelancersneed to tap that imagination to make engaging writing that people will want to read. Even anon-fiction bookneeds some creativity to be something people will want to read.

That does not mean you should write overly flowery works.Ernest Hemingwaysaid, “If I started to write elaborately, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away.” It actually takes more imagination and creativity to write succinctly with power and attention-grabbing writing than it does to write overly wordy pieces.

7. Grammar Skills

This one is last on the list because it almost goes without saying that afull-timeprofessional writerneeds to havegoodwritingskills.Grammatical errorswill cause your piece to fail.Word choiceproblems will confuse your reader.

If you have the rest of the qualities of agood writer, but lack grammar skills, then take some writing courses to improve yourwriting skill. Soon you can be putting yourcreative writingabilities to good use and earning money as a writer.

The Final Word on Which Qualities Do MostSuccessful WritersHave

Tenacity, good research abilities and strong grammar skills, combined with imagination, humility, timeliness and a dose of stubbornness all combine to make agood writergreat. If you want to make a career out of writing, take the time to develop these qualities.

The world of freelancing and writing has many possibilities.Amazonis full of people just like you who becamegreat writers. By developing these qualities, you can join their ranks.

Like this? Check out our guide to the seven habits of effective writers

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