Makes a Good Writer

 

I’ve spent the last 15 years mentoring many writers and observing the characteristics of good writing.

In that time I’ve also evaluated dozens of other writers, without choosing to mentor them, and I’ve seen something in some that I didn’t see in the rest.

That “something” I saw was a set of qualities that I think are unique to remarkable writers. I wanted to start documenting those qualities — those things that make writers stand out from the rest of the population.

A good writer makes content easy to read. She uses straightforward language that engages and entertains the reader, making comprehension effortless. Good writing skills are part of the art of effective communication. The right structure keeps your writing simple and clear, while your creativity makes your presentation remarkable.

Now a typical list on writers usually revolves around habits common to a lot of professions (obsession, perseverance, getting up early, reading a ton, and so on).

That’s too easy.

What I’m looking for are qualities of a good writer that no other profession can claim.

This is not an easy task. But here’s my stab at it.

1. Remarkable writers have the ability to size up content

A remarkable writer can:

• Scan a sales letter and immediately identify specific problems … and then articulate the solution to those problems.
• Read a story and pinpoint where the story fails — and why.
• Review a speech and offer advice on how to make a lecture open and close with a bang.

Other professions do the same thing in their fields — programmers with software code or military strategists with an enemy’s battle plan. What makes this unique to writers is that it lies in the mechanics of the language.

They avoid commonly misused words, common grammar mistakes, and know the different types of compound words, of course.

But they also have an instinct for the words that supercharge great email marketing tips, methods for writing magnetic copy, and techniques for formatting scannable content.

We might be able to make an argument that editors can size up content, but in the end I might argue they just have good writing skills.

Let’s keep trying.

2. Remarkable writers are able to connect the dots

A remarkable writer is a visionary of sorts.

Although you might find her with her nose in the spine of a book (in a room strewn with scattered volumes), she’s actually 30,000 feet above, scanning her mental landscape, spotting potential material and logging these ideas away.

She’s doing this subconsciously, but it’s just a matter of time before something clicks, a web of associations light up — and she sees something she’s never seen before … how to:

• Bring that character to life
• Close that blog post
• Tap into an emotion

In essence, she’s a problem-solver and knows how to get over a mental block.

But so are entrepreneurs. Electricians. College football coaches. You could argue that exceptional problem-solving skills are one thing that separates the average from the remarkable in all these fields.

Fair enough.

So what do problem-solving writers do uniquely that no other profession does? Again, they do it with sentences. Paragraphs. The building blocks of their trade.

But still, nothing entirely original here. We need to move on to the next point.

3.  Remarkable writers can express ideas clearly

One of the reasons that I find new social situations awkward (and can come across as shy) is because I’m often reluctant to open my mouth and commit to a position until I’ve thought it through.

The last thing I want to do is sound dumb.

During a conversation I can have several responses to one question — but those responses are muddied with emotions and half-baked positions. What I long to do is sit down and sift through those thoughts on paper — after the conversation.

This ability is unique to writers (especially of the introverted variety).

On a side note, I’ve learned how to inject my opinion in conversations without feeling dumb by saying “I’m thinking out loud here,” and then talk to them as if I was writing.

What they would hear is someone exploring one path, finding it unpleasant, turning back and heading down another. They might hear me go down three or four or five or six different paths.

I might seem lost. But I’m not. I’m actually exploring.

4. Remarkable writers can write in their heads

I keep a notebook. A journal of sorts. I try to record ideas as they come.

But there are times when I have an idea, and I’m entirely too lazy to get up — or it’s just downright dangerous to write. This usually occurs in bed, the shower, or on a long drive.

Here’s what I do.

You’ve got your mind’s eye, right?

• Write your headline on that screen using the principles behind persuasive headlines.
• Work that headline twenty different ways until you can settle on something useable.
• When you get a chance, write it down.
• Move on to the first paragraph. And so on.

5. Remarkable writers read with a deep purpose

There are three kinds of readers.

Libertarian — He is free to read whatever he wants. Whenever he wants. However he wants. Scan his reading history and you’ll see Mashable blog posts, Stieg Larsson novels, National Geographic magazines and bottles of shampoo. Think promiscuity.

Social conservatives — He is a little more purposeful in what he reads. He might grab The Hustle or be a member of Oprah’s reading club. Either way, he narrows his reading scope by taking cues from social authorities.

Extremists — This is the PhD preparing for her doctorate in medieval chemistry. The defense attorney hunkered in the library to bone up on local moonshine statutes. The writer working on a memoir of Hungarian-Jewish physician Joseph Goldberger. The writer is absorbed (and obsessed) with one topic — and one topic alone.

Remarkable writers absorb their books. For long stretches of time. Clueless to the rest of the world. Of course, writers can’t exactly claim a monopoly on this trait. The next trait, however, they most definitely can.