Seven Traits of Highly Effective Writers
by
Sharon Mignerey

Almost all of us have struggled to recapture our writing life since the events of September 11. Each time we turn on the news, there’s so much to absorb. We hear of tales of heartbreak and heroism--not fiction, but of real people living through all that has happened. And there’s a nagging suspicion that surfaces ... what I do is so not important. Being an artist, whether you’re a painter, musician, or writer is especially important right now. As artists, we provide the means of escape from reality for a few minutes, we help make sense of the senseless, we become historians of our time revealing what’s important to our society. And, if we’re lucky, some of that art survives.

Realizing that our work as writers is important is only the beginning. And, as I struggled to get back to work, I began identifying those traits that see writers through the euphoria of being at the top with accolades, multi-book contracts, and movie deals ... and see writers through crushing rejection, personal problems, and outside distractions.

One of my favorite childhood songs was that old classic from Pinnochio--When You Wish Upon a Star, and if I had a theme song, this would be mine. What, you may be wondering, does this have to do with the 7 traits? Quite a lot, actually.

1. Dream. All things begin with a dream. That wonderful book you read this week was gathered from the ether and turned into the tangible form of a book because the author had a dream. Back to my theme song. The lyrics go like this:

When you wish upon a star
It makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
When your heart is in your dreams
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true

According to the song, "anything your heart desires will come to you when your heart is in your dream." Within that place inside of you where your deepest yearnings well from, what do you wish for? What’s that dream that shines brightly when you close your eyes and imagine it. The size doesn’t matter--the only important thing is that it sings to you from the bottom of your heart. If your heart is involved, you’ve committed yourself, and anything is possible.

1. Have courage. We tend to associate courage with the heroic acts of fire fighters or soldiers or police officers. But, it takes a lot of courage to expose yourself the way we inevitably do as artists and put our work out there for someone else to see. Most of us have had the horrible sinking feeling after we’ve sent our manuscripts off to a contest, an agent, or an editor that we should have seen that one final thing that we missed. There’s a stupid typo or a character’s motivation would have been a bit more clear with just one more phrase or that fragile hope of "let them like, oh please, let them like it." You may be one of those who never finds the process of sharing your work easy no matter how many times you do it. That’s okay. Just take a deep breath ... have courage and share your work anyway.
2. Be disciplined. No matter how big the dream, the work simply doesn’t get done unless you set aside the time to do it. You know the drill. Doing email isn’t writing. Playing Free Cell isn’t writing. Thinking about writing while you do the laundry isn’t writing. You must set aside the time, religiously stick to it, and do nothing but write during that time. Whether yours is a daily or weekly schedule, the more you make your writing time a sacred habit, the easier being disciplined will be. If you’re one of those who has to set the timer for fifteen minutes and simply make yourself write, then do it. Remember your dream, and see that next fifteen minutes as the required steps to get you closer.
3. Renew your love of stories by reading. Yeah, yeah, like you need encouragement to indulge in one of your favorite past times. The next time you sit down to read, notice how reading makes you feel. Do you read with the knowledge that the author is skilled at drawing you into the story and everything about it is working ... and how does the author do that? Do you read with the irritation of knowing you write as well? While reading, do you have those "ah-ha!" realizations for your own writing. Reading widely is an integral part of the creative process. Reading within your targeted market is a must. You learn to recognize good writing and good story-telling techniques. You learn to recognize what works and doesn’t work within your own stories ... and why.
4. Be a continuous learner. First, writers get to research for that new project, which may require we delve into mountain climbing or Egyptian architecture to provide that rich background against which your story is set. We usually find that kind of research a lot of fun. Second, great writers are never satisfied with the execution of their craft. They always want to know how they can tell the story better, how characterization can be made more compelling, how the picture in their head can better fit what actually makes it to the page. Both of these require having a curious and open mind and the awareness of the more you know, the more there is to learn.
5. Appreciate your unique gifts. While it’s true that others may compare your style to some other author, your voice, your view of the world, your choice of subject matter are all unique to you. No one can tell a story quite the way you can. Nor, can you tell a story quite the way some one else can. Isn’t that great? So, instead of wishing you could write comedy because that’s in right now or wishing your could write a serious drama even though everything tickles your funny bone, cultivate your strengths and play them up.
6. Take nothing personally. This ties in with having courage. Your ability to do well over the long haul will depend on how you frame both rejection and success. As for success, the world out there will see you only as good as your last book--remember how you’ve judged that most recent work from a favorite author if it failed to live up to your expectations. As for rejection, the more you realize it’s not directed at you the easier it will be to move on, whether that means submitting again without changing a word, putting the work away for a while, or making changes and submitting again. "Success" and "rejection" are beyond your direct ability to control. All you can control is the work, what you do today and tomorrow and the day after that is tiny step built on tiny step.

Unless you take the steps that come after dreaming, all you have is a day dream--a pleasant fiction that keeps your mind occupied and wistful. The end of the song says "fate is kind ... fate steps in and sees you through." In my experience, that’s true ... if I’ve done the work to keep my dream from simply being a fantasy that engages me sometimes.

My wish for you ... huge dreams that do come true. Peace and blessings to you this Holiday season.

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