5 Skills Unsuccesful Writers Need 

~ Steven Capps

Let me warn everyone before we get any further. I’m writing this on my iPhone, and I am absolutely sure Autocorrect is going to try to implement its evil plan to dominate my text. Hopefully, I can catch all the typos before I hit the publish button, but if not, then you now know why it says, “sitting,” instead of, “writing.”

Writers are often seen as introverts who hide from daylight and curse any engagement that requires them to be social. I am not sure where this stereotype came from, but I certainly know that it doesn’t fit for me. Rather than dismissing the entire idea of how a writer is perceived, I decided to try to figure out what qualities make the most successful writers.

1. Dedication– Writing is not the kind of profession that most of us want it to be. We all want to be wildly successful, but the truth is few of us really make it anything more than a hobby. The writers who are successful are dedicated to their work well before they receive anything from it. Writing every single day is the first and most important aspect of becoming a successful writer.

2. Criticism– Writers are creative people. We may not make beautiful images with a paint brush, but we spin incredible lives and worlds from paper and ink, but just because we’ve written something down, doesn’t mean it’s good. This post is a great example of written refuse. A successful writer can take criticism with a smile and know when to listen and when the critic is missing their mark.

3. Revision– this goes hand in hand with criticism, but a successful writer knows that a rough draft is far from finished. It takes mutiple stages of revision to create somethin incredible. Like sculptors slowly chipping away at granite, writers get a bit closer to perfection with each draft.

4. Motivation– This is one of the hardest attributes for me to maintain. Some days, words flow like a waterfall and others my creative output feels like the Sahara. Building a routine such as a walk, listening to music, or completing some other activity can help me get motivated about writing. In fact, reading blogs about writing really make me want to do it myself.

5. Communication– A successful writer is not anywhere near as isolated as the stereotype makes us believe. Communicating with peers is the best way for a writer to grow. There is no such thing as too much advice, and even if you have heard everything that someone has to offer, they might need something that you know. Having a solid base of writing friends can help keep you on track and get your work out once it is published.

Now that we are into 2016, I want to remind everyone that I will be absent throughout February due to my military obligations. I will schedule all of my posts ahead of time. I hope you are having a great week and I look forward to hearing from you.

Published by Steven Capps

I'm a SFF writer with a day job as the Social Media Manager for the South Carolina Army National Guard. I have a B.A. in English from the American Military University, a Graduate Certificate in Social Media Management from Georgetown University, and am pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. I've gotten a few things published here and there, but nothing important enough to list as a credit. If you finished reading all of some random dude's author bio, you're the best kind of person.

20 thoughts on “5 Skills Unsuccesful Writers Need ”

  3. Interesting read, I didn’t spot any typo so your Autocorrect certainly behaved itself. Those five points are pertinent and equally essential. I too like to take mindful walks and listen to inspiring music so I don’t lose sight of what pushes me to write in the first place.

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  4. “A successful writer can take criticism with a smile and know when to listen and when the critic is missing their mark.”
    Certainly a smart and mature writer.

    The writing peers thing can be difficult, though, when you don’t really have any. I live in a blue collar state where everyone is about cars and sports — nobody writes. I thought about joining an online writing group, but all the ones I’ve seen so far state in their guidelines that they are willing to lie to avoid hurting an author’s feelings, which totally defeats the purpose of criticism. If I know they’re going to lie, I’m not going to talk shop with them. Hopefully joining Goodreads will change this a little.

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    1. I don’t know if you use twitter but it’s a great place to meet other writers. You could find some peers that way, and meet some incredible writing friends who know the value of honest feedback 🙂 I agree that online forums can go either way. I’ve joined one recently and I’m not sure how long I’ll stick around.

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  5. Yes! I agree with everything!! I’m not sure where the stereotype of the lonely writer who never sees sunlight came from, either. Feedback on my blog and chatting to other writers on twitter has been a brilliant motivation, and I wouldn’t want to do without either.

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