Have you ever wondered what makes a writer great? Almost everyone knows how to form a sentence and express themselves through written words. Then why do we address only a few people as writers and not everyone who can write? Well, you are technically a writer if you possess the ability to write. But to be a great writer, you need a lot more than that.
Whether you are a student willing to become a better academic writer or someone who wants to pursue writing as a career option, you need to develop certain qualities. All the great essay writers, irrespective of what industry they serve at, have these following qualities that separate them from any ordinary writer.
A great writer must have a rich vocabulary. Otherwise, he/she will have to keep repeating the same words over and over again, making the text sound monotonous and dull. Having a vast knowledge of interesting and unusual words can help you produce content that can keep the readers hooked throughout the content. While there are several ways to improve your vocabulary, reading quality content every day happens to be most effective.
Readability, as you may know, refers to the effort required to make sense of a written piece of text. The work of a great writer needs to be easy to understand, grammatically sound, and stylistically clear – so that the readers do not have to make much effort to get what the writer is trying to convey. If you aspire to become a great writer, you should measure the Readability Score of your content and try to improve it every time.
A great writer also has the ability to produce focused content. When you read the work of good writers, you will find that their writing has a point and is developed keeping a goal in mind. Whatever the goal may be, a good writer always stays focused while writing and does not add unnecessary details in the content. You can also achieve the same results by preparing an outline for your content beforehand.
A great writer has a good idea about his/her audience. He/she know what beliefs they share, what knowledge the hold and which language they understand. A great writer knows what assumptions the readers can and cannot make. He/she knows what will hold his/her audience’s interest. The writer produces just the right kind of content for his/her intended reader – neither too dense nor too simple.
A great piece of writing is often informative and insightful. It is possible to become a good writer without being good at research work. But we are talking about great writers, and they most certainly have this quality. Whether it is about writing an academic paper or about composing a blog for a business – the writer needs to conduct in-depth research on the chosen topic and find authentic data. This quality of the writer helps him/her produce credible content.
A great writer needs to be creative. Whether his/her job involves fiction writing or not, creativity is essential to the writers across all industries. A blogger generally writes content on a trending topic. Since a lot of other bloggers are also writing on the same topic, one needs to think of a creative way to present his/her content to gain the audience’s attention. Moreover, people love to read content that is uniquely brilliant. A writer cannot produce such content unless he/she is creative.
Great writers are generally good listeners and observers of their surroundings, especially during the times when they are not writing. Unless a writer listens and/or observes the environment around him/her, where is he/she going to draw the inspiration from for the writing? Whether the writer is a novelist or someone who writes content for a website, he/she must have a good understanding of the time/society he/she is living in. It allows him/her to produce content that is relevant as well as relatable to the readers.
Whenever you use or quote someone else’s work while writing, you need to acknowledge the source material and the author(s) behind it. While this practice allows the writers to offer due credit to other fellow authors for their works, it also saves the writers from committing plagiarism. The tricky part about this process of acknowledgement, better known as referencing, is that there are several different sets of guidelines for referencing of sources. A great writer must have a good knowledge of the guidelines of the relevant referencing styles.
In most cases, a great writer is also a brilliant proofreader. He/she must have a sharp eye for details. If there is any inconsistency or error in his/her writing, he/she is able to spot it while reading through the content. Besides identifying the errors and inconsistencies, a writer should also be able to spot the areas which could have been presented in a better manner. This quality of a writer allows him/her to enhance the quality of writing and produce a flawless piece of content.
An exceptional writer also needs to have an open mind about the feedback and suggestions from others. It is great to be passionate about your writing. But if you want to become a great writer, you need to be open to changes suggested by people who matter – it can be your publisher, your editor, or the audience. If their suggestions do improve the content, it is something that a writer must consider. Open-mindedness lets a writer see hi/her work through someone else’s perspective. This allows the writer to improve on the areas which were previously unknown to him/her.
In conclusion,
No one is born with amazing writing skills. Through years of hard work and dedication, a person becomes a great writer. If you aspire to become a great writer someday, you do need to develop these qualities, but most importantly, you need to practice writing regularly. After all, “Practice makes perfect”.
Author bio: Emily Moore is a sociology professor at a reputed university in USA. She is also associated with MyAssignmenthelp.com, where she serves as an essay writer to help students on their requests.