An earlier version of this article was published in 2015. I have corrected a few typos, added some text, and added a table of contents.

In this article…

Good writers use books to help them write better

Introduction

What's the difference between good writers and bad ones? Jeff Goins puts it down to perseverance and a willingness to elicit feedback and take criticism on the chin.

I agree with him, though I think it's more nuanced than that. In my opinion, good writers have the following characteristics:

Perseverance

It’s easy to keep going when the ideas are flowing, and the feedback is complimentary. But a good writer will keep going even when those ideal conditions are noticeable by their absence.

Small, but not minor

An ability to recognise the difference between small things and minor ones. Oscar Wilde defined a day's work as taking out a comma in the morning, and reinserting it in the afternoon. That was a small change. But it wasn't necessarily a minor one.

As it happens, you can see this difference in plays. To take Wilde as an example again, the part of the butler Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest is a small one, but by no means a minor one.

Think outside the self

Good writers write for the (potential) reader, not to show off how clever, erudite and articulate they are.

Welcome feedback

They are open to legitimate criticism, by which I mean feedback on the quality of their work for its own sake, not for the sake of displaying the cleverness of the critic.

Read — a lot

Good writers read a lot about their subject or in their genre.

Read — a lot (again)

They also read a lot, or at least think a lot, about the craft of writing. Or, failing that, write a lot. Some concert pianists practise for eight hours a day, and athletes train incessantly. Why should writing be different?