Meme: What strengths should a writer have?

Suburbanlife tagged me for a meme, to list out a writer’s strengths. She listed out strengths which she feels a writer should have and hopes she will attain…and asked me to do the same…

Out of her five points I am picking one (Incredibly acute ability to listen, to hear) and making it my first point.

1. An incredibly acute ability to listen, to hear. Add read. Whether one is writing a news report, non-fiction, or simply writing a poem or a story…you need this ability. Otherwise the writing will come across as arrogant, one-sided and at the worst, mediocre.

2. I am afraid I must snatch one of Surburban’s second points too… commitment to labouring mightily at their craft because I believe that brilliance does in fact consist of 90+ percent perspiration! The greatest inventors of our time were in fact obsessed with their work. Such obsessions produce brilliance.

3. Passion. Without passion for the subject one writes about, and for writing itself…the writing will be lifeless and will not draw people in.

4. Honesty is important too. Being true to oneself…writing what one really believes in, even if it means exposing oneself, is really the underlying thing. Readers are smart, they can sense the hollowness of words…

5. Curiosity. A desire to know things, find out, explore…

6. My last point is usually taken for granted, but I have to mention it. One must be well up on grammar: sentence construction, editing, vocabulary, spellings. There are very few people to whom this comes naturally and so one has to make a conscious effort to improve oneself. There is a nice ebook, Paragraph and Section breaks by Noah Lukeman which is worth a read.

I always strive for the above qualities, which I have only in varying degrees!

As an aside, I must mention that one thinks one knows the language but actually one doesn’t! I didn’t know the exact meaning of ‘meme’ although I had read things with the word meme in it. 🙂 That sounds dreadfully ignorant huh, specially for someone who thinks of herself as a writer! For those as ignorant as me, this is the definition of meme:

…any characteristic of a culture, e.g. its language, that can be transmitted from one generation to the next in a way analogous to the transmission of genetic information

It’s a small word with a big meaning! Go figure it out!!!

I am tagging a few fellow bloggers, for whom I think blogging is more than just blogging. Those whom I feel have a love for writing. I feel they can add to this meme and, they can do it in their own way. Either qualities that a writer should have, or what they would like to see in their own writing, or the strengths/weaknesses they see in themselves as writers. Or even how their writing has changed/improved because of blogging. Its flexible…in fact there is no compulsion to take up this meme at all! Its okay if you excuse yourself, although I rather hope you won’t.

So here goes (not in order of preference!):
Qweenminx, for her awesome ability to let the words pour out…and pour out honestly.
Rambodoc, for the superb wit evident in his writing.
Gabriel, for some of his remarkable insights into human behavior and good writing.
Ordinary Girl, because of her writing, and her posts.
Mahendrap, an IT guy with an intense desire to learn the craft of writing and excel at it.
Shefaly, for her intellectual curiosity.
Paul, for his prolific flow of words and ability to write concisely and clearly.
Bharath, whose writing seems to be getting better and better day by day!
Mariacristina, because she loves to write and learn.

Give us your thoughts people!

(For all those who are wondering why I am taking up this tagging thing (I generally refuse!) its because I accept tags only if they are awards 🙂 and I accept tags if they are about writing 🙂 )

Thats about it. And I repeat, no compulsion at all.