13 Attributes of the Ultimate Writer (Part 1 of 4)
By: Chris Craft
Tags: Soul, Blogging, Creativity, Intelligence, Writing

13 Attributes of the Ultimate Writer (Part 1 of 4)

Soul, Creativity, and Intelligence

Graphic designed by author

In this series of articles, I’m going to step into my lab and assemble the ultimate writer according to 13 core attributes.

Investing in a Medium membership and joining the Partner Program has opened me to a new world of fantastic wordsmiths and I thought it’d be fun to dream up how I’d assemble the ultimate writer.

Now I must say that this list is based purely on my opinion. I don’t intend to disrespect anyone by leaving them off this list.

The Backstory

Our soon-to-be 5-year old son wants a Voltron toy for his 5th birthday. Not only does this bring me nostalgia as I reflect on when my father bought me a Voltron toy, but it also got me thinking about combining powers in another sense. So, I owe credit to a 4-year old for inspiring me to assemble the ultimate writer.

I also must mention that I miss sports right now. I miss playing them. I miss watching them. I miss the camaraderie and rhythm of playing pickup basketball at the Y. One interesting positive out of this pandemic is it has inspired me to think of writing as a sport (which is why I decided to make Stamina one of the attributes of the ultimate writer).

Fantasy sports is another one of my hobbies. I love the excitement in assembling the ultimate team. This passion has led to me winning my fantasy football league two years in a row! Humble brag much? But today and later in Parts 2–4, I’m going to combine my passion for fantasy sports with my passion for writing (and reading).

Allow me to step out of my lab and present to you the ultimate writer. The 13 attributes are:

Soul

Creativity

Intelligence

Voice/Presence

Communication/Delivery

Vocabulary

Sense of Humor

Heart/Empathy

Work Ethic

Stamina

Guts

Versatility

Connecting

If you noticed the flow and pattern, I’m stepping through the attributes from the all-encompassing eternal aura (the soul) and then from top-to-bottom from there.

Today, in Part 1 of this series, I’m focusing on the attributes of Soul, Creativity, and Intelligence.

In Part 2, I’ll cover Voice/Presence, Communication/Delivery, Vocabulary, and Sense of Humor

Part 3: Heart/Empathy, Work Ethic, Stamina

Part 4: Guts, Versatility, Connecting

Let the fun begin!

Soul

When I think about the connection between Soul and writing, I think about where the writer’s power to create comes from and who they give the credit to. I also think about the vibe I feel when I read their words. But Soul is deeper than having the ability to help people feel good (this ability in the wrong person is very dangerous), it’s about also having the heart to properly steward your abilities and truly want good to come from your writing. So with those characteristics in mind…

Jim Wolstenholm is the writer who I choose for Soul because of how he displays his desire for righteousness through his writing. His words are warm and communicate care for his readers. He’s present in his writing, but he also has a great ability of getting out of the way to let God’s Word shine through.

A story by Jim that shows his soul, love for God, and love for others: 3 Life Changing Prayers

Creativity

I appreciate writers who approach topics from unique angles. I find that some writers (myself included) are so in the rush to publish that they don’t take the time to sit with their work. Sitting with your work and being diligent in the revising and editing stages of the writing process are key to creativity. Yes, for some writers, creativity flows directly from the mind to their fingers in the drafting stage of the writing process. But I often find interesting ways to creatively tweak and contort what I wrote while editing a story.

When I ventured into my glorious ultimate writer creation lab, one writer stood out to me for his creativity. He is an amazing writer and I love that the mysterious person behind the pen name is free from the tyranny of his name and the public.

Nom de Plume is the writer who I choose for Creativity.

A story by Nom that shows his gift as a creative writer: Dear Books…

Intelligence

I love smart writers. This goes beyond using big words. An intelligent writer helps me see things in a new way. An intelligent writer tackles complex issues but expresses them in a way that’s understandable. An intelligent writer shows dedication to their field of expertise and their deep knowledge shines through their words. With these attributes in mind…

Yong Cui, Ph.D. is who I choose for how they exhibit Intelligence in their writing. When I read his writing, I feel like I totally understand programming. I studied some programming at Morehouse and while studying Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech, but that was ages ago and I wasn’t a whiz by any means. Yong’s writing gives me the confidence to go try to whip up some code!

A story by Doctor Cui that showcases their intelligence (and the ability to explain a complex technical topic in plain English): Time Complexity of Algorithms- Big O Notation Explained In Plain English