The Qualities of a Good Writer

What makes a good writer?

Yeah, we all know one when we see one. Actually, we all know when we read their book.

But what qualities does a good writer need to have? What makes them a good writer rather than just a mediocre or poor writer?

I believe that there are five generic elements which need to come together to create a good writer. And I believe that we all have the ability to have those five elements. It just takes a bit of effort on our part.

So what are the five elemental groups of qualities that matter?

1. The first group of qualities are personal work habits. A good writer must have a sense of discipline. No matter how good your system to write is, writing is still hard work. And we must learn how to motivate ourselves to sit and write. Because the other thing about writing is that it is a solitary habit.

2. The second group is related to how we think. A good writer needs to be flexible in our thought processes. At times in the writing process we need to be detailed oriented. Every little letter and character must be in the right place and have a defined purpose. At other times, we need to focus on the whole picture. While a third occasion requires us to see blocks of information and how those blocks interact.

3. A writer needs to be blessed with the gift of the gab. Good communications is an underlying quality that every writer needs. Forget kissing the blarney stone. Make love to it! Feel its coolness and hardness. Touch and caress it. (Don't really, I'm being figurative here. Hanging upside down to kiss a piece of granite isn't going to help your ability to write. No matter what my Irish ancestors believed. Besides getting arrested for obscenity at an Irish tourist attraction is frowned upon).

4. A writer needs to work on the technical aspects of their craft. Writing is, at its core, a craft. You must master your tools. You must master your system of writing. Fortunately, we practice all the time. You see we speak. But you still need to master your ability to use words. Your grammar. Your spelling. Otherwise you'll spend everything you earn on editors.

5. But most of all a writer needs passion and a love of people.