I’ve been on this creative writing journey for eight years. The more I write, the more I realize that there are certain traits most writers have that go beyond basic writing skills or understanding story structure.
From having a natural curiosity about the outside world to developing empathy for others, writers tap into a well of personal insights and experiences to create stories that readers will relate to. These traits provide the mental and emotional edge they need to be successful as a creative writer. You’re not likely to find these same traits in other professions.
Here are the most essential traits of creative writers and how they help shape their stories.
Curiosity. Writers are naturally curious about the outside world and enjoy exploring and learning about different experiences and ideas, places, cultures, cuisine, music. All this can inspire unique settings and characters. They enjoy doing research, asking questions about things they’re curious about, interview subject matter experts and search the web for answers. Google is their best friend, always at their fingertips. Without curiosity, writers would lack the depth of knowledge and understanding about the world around them that would typically enrich their stories. Curiosity is essential for continuously learning about the world and about themselves.
Patience and perseverance. As essential as these traits are, they’re often the most difficult to cultivate. Many writers may abandon a project after months or years of working on it because it’s not coming together fast enough or easily. That’s where a healthy dose of patience and perseverance are required. It’s like running a marathon. Writing a novel is not for the faint of heart; it takes effort every single day to see how your story comes to life on the page. Writers must also be patient with themselves because writing takes a lot of practice. Their development as professional creative writers is a slow, steady process. It doesn’t happen overnight. But with patience, they can persevere and make progress towards their writing goal.
Observation and awareness. Writers are notorious people watchers and eaves droppers. Being aware of the world around them is an essential trait for creating realistic settings, characters and dialogue. That’s why most writers carry a small notebook to jot down things they see and hear when they’re out and about. Those powers of observation are necessary to create true descriptive stories that make readers feel they are really there with the characters and with the author.
Imagination and originality. Writers have the ability to think outside the box, to always look at the world from different perspectives and to ask the question, “what if?” That simple question can lead to a myriad of situations and story scenes. “What if?” questions challenge you to look at situations differently. For example, what if a woman became president of the United States? What if men could live on the moon? What if we could travel five years into the future, spend one hour there, then return to the present time, which, by the way, is the basis for the novel In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Reimagining our world is essential for creating original stories worth reading.
Empathy and emotion. What makes creative writers stand out from non-fiction writers or AI-generated content is emotion. Creative writers know how to bring emotion into their writer and appeal to readers’ empathy for their characters. That ability to feel and understand another person’s suffering makes it possible to share the depths of humanity on the page. Without this trait, stories would simply be words on a page, and writers wouldn’t be able to connect to their readers. Empathy and emotion are what connects us to each other.
Self-discipline and commitment. Dedication is the name of the game. Without commitment to the craft, most writers wouldn’t jot down a single word. Writing takes discipline to keep writing even when you don’t feel like it or when your heart isn’t in your story. Commitment shows you’re willing to work at your craft and to keep learning and growing. That’s why most experts advise writing a little every day to keep those skills fresh and to maintain momentum. It may not be your best work on that day, but it’s better than not writing at all. After all, you can’t edit a blank page.
A passionate belief in their story. One of the most overlooked traits of a writer is belief – belief in the story and belief in yourself. Belief is the foundation for your writing, much like the cement foundation that is laid when building a house. Without belief, you wouldn’t be willing to set aside time from your already busy lives to create stories. Not only must you believe in your talent and storytelling ability, you must believe in the story you want to tell. Without that belief, your story isn’t likely to come to life.
Risk taking. I’ve written about this before that writers are natural risk takers. They take risks with their writing, constantly experimenting with plot structures, story development, genre mashups, and characters. Every time they sit down to write, they’re taking a risk with their time and schedule too, hoping that the time they put in eventually pays off with a finished product they can be proud of.
Book editor Tiffany Yates Martin said it best when she compared writing to buying a lottery ticket. “Think of your stories as lottery tickets – with each one, you’re creating the chance to hit the jackpot, but there are no guarantees and the odds aren’t in your favor.”
Still writers persist because they love what they do – to craft stories that they hope people will read.
What do you think? Do you have all these traits, or only a few of them? Are there other traits you think are essential for successful writers?
