Top 5 Traits of a Great Writer

Nobody's perfect. There's not a writer on this planet who doesn't have any wiggle room left for growth. The best writers realize that and work hard to tweak their craft. What's that? You want to be one of the best? Then work on acquiring these traits . . .

Courage
Every writer has a big invisible zipper on their soul that opens wide when they put out a story, allowing the world to read their collection of words. It takes guts to do that. Writing with wild abandon even when you're afraid to do so creates fresh prose.

Tenacity
Rotten reviews. Sales that tank. A papercut right where the fingernail meets flesh. These roadblocks don't stop a true writer. In fact, writing in the midst of adversity makes for a story and characters with more depth.

Introspection
What are you writing for? Creation? Fame? Fortune? To stand on a soapbox and deliver a message? Pinpointing your mission statement as an author will hone your writing to a sharp edge. Great writers know why they write, even if it's something as simple as they'll die if they don't.

Resolution
Finish what you start. Don't get caught in the crazy spin cycle of editing and re-working and second-guessing your plot. Just finish the dang thing. Then you can go back and tidy up the messy bits.

Read
Words are a writer's business. Know what's out there on the market. Learn and be inspired by other writers. We don't live in a vacuum. Glean what you can from the best of the best.