Improve Yourself, Improve Your Writing

In a market as competitive as the writing world, we’re all striving to be the best writers we can be. But would you be surprised if I told you the only way to improve your writing is to be a better person?

Remember all those admirable self-improvement goals that always end up on your resolution list?

Lose ten pounds, clean the garage, learn to play foosball.

At first glance, they may not seem to have anything in common with writing, but, in fact, they’re related in several ways. They all require discipline, hard work, pragmatism, and a long-term vision.

These are all traits everyone could do with a little bit more of. You will be better people for possessing them—and, as a result, you’ll become a better writer.

You Can’t Separate Your Writing From Your Life

It’s easily to get into the habit of looking at your writing separately from the rest of your life. But if you hope to be dedicated to your writing, you have to establish corresponding habits in every corner of your lives.

You might like to think you can eat Twinkies for breakfast, leave your home and workspace in a state of disarray, and knock off commitments without a second thought—and still somehow be an ace writer. But the patterns you establish in other areas of your life will spill over to your writing.

You might possess all the talent in the world, but if you’re not willing to back it up with 110% effort, you can hardly expect—or deserve—success. Ecstatic as the pinnacles of inspiration may be, writing, at its core, is more grit than glitz, more work than riches.

It’s the same in all art fields. In his article “How to Be a Professional Cartoonist,” Hugh MacLeod makes five points that every serious author would do well to take note of, including the unappetizing:

Wake up early in the morning, head straight to the studio and crank stuff out relentlessly…

What Are the True Qualities of a Great Author?

If you were to list the “Qualities of an Author,” the traits mentioned above probably wouldn’t be the first to pop to mind. Your list might include idea such as:

Beautiful prose, sharp characters, mind-bending plots, and zinging dialogue.

And rightly so. All good authors need these in their bag of tricks. But these skills won’t do you a lick of good if you don’t also possess the ability to apply them. In A Writer’s Space, Eric Maisel, Ph.D., comments on the list of qualities every serious writer must possess:

Of course, [you] already knew what those qualities were… You just needed to heroically listen to your conscience… Become more creative by improving your character.

Millions of people want to write stories. Many do put pen to paper. But only those who are willing to cultivate a responsible lifestyle will take full advantage of their talents and their dreams. So here’s to a little self-improvement for all of us!

Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! What responsible character traits have made you a better writer? Tell me in the comments!

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