What are Your Five Writing Strengths?

 

I was reading Ann Kroeker’s blog, as I sometimes do, and stumbled upon a post about mastery and writing strengths. It caused me to stop and reflect: What are my five writing strengths? How are they helping me master the craft?

Curiosity

I’m curious about…well, about almost everything, which is probably why my mom describes me as eclectic. Where does the road go? How does Google glass work? What does that word mean?

Curiosity may kill the cat, but I’ve yet to have it kill the writing. Far from it. Curiosity enriches my writing. It gives me experiences, objects, and other material from which to draw.

Reading

Good writers are good readers. They spend time with books, some of which they like and some of which they despise. Regardless of their effect on the reader, every book offers some lesson.

At least they do in my case. I always learn something when I read, but, then again, I tend to read to learn. Even when I’m laughing out loud at Terry Pratchett’s Death or Nobby Nobbs, my brain is processing and thinking.

I’m not always aware of that process until I start to write a new piece. I get to the end of it and see vestiges of the authors I’ve been reading. Other times, it’s a more deliberate choice. I enjoy a character so much that I decide to write about him or her. I take an interesting line and use it to jumpstart my own writing.

Solitude

I’ve never minded working alone. As a kid, I could play “story” for hours. As an adult, I can write and draw for hours.

It isn’t always easy; at times, I have to exercise discipline. I don’t want to write. I still sit in the chair. I write. I look away from the screen or paper for a moment. I look back and write some more.

Play

The only way to keep my writing fresh is to play with it. I try new things, especially in poetry. I don’t want to get stuck in a mindless rut, so I sally forth into the unknown.

Art is another way to play, too. I may be serious about getting better at it, but it is my creative release from the writing. I’m not sure how or why that is, but it is. The art is more or less lighthearted. The writing tends to be more serious. The one balances the other.

Perseverance

I stick with things, sometimes longer than I should. It’s been a hard lesson to learn since persistence and perseverance are innate qualities. To quit a thing feels like a huge failure.

To start a new thing…that’s different. I develop a plan. I study the subject, the current example being graphic design. I’m back in that land, which means I have to do the work. I go back to basics. I study the greats. I hone my skills. I stick with it because the hard work pays off.

What about you? What are your five writing strengths?

Image: Nana B Agyei  (Creative Commons)