Value Your Writing Strengths: 5 Tips to Boost Your Potential

Recognize the value of your writing strengths and understand their role in building a successful writing career. Whether you’re an aspiring novelist or a first-time non-fiction writer, discover how to harness your writing prowess to create compelling, engaging content that readers will want to devour, share, and link back to.

 

“The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit.” — Jim Rohn

 

Your strengths are what make your work unique, engaging, and relatable to your readers. It’s what sets you apart from other writers and makes your work truly your own. Embrace these strengths and let them shine through your work. They are your tools for crafting meaningful and engaging pieces that readers won’t just read, they’ll remember.

 

In every stage of your journey as a new author, it’s crucial to step back and acknowledge the significance of your unique strengths. We often overlook the immense value our strengths bring to our craft because we’re so engrossed in overcoming our weaknesses.

 

Appreciating the value of your strengths is about much more than just giving yourself a pat on the back. It’s about understanding how your strengths contribute to your writing style, how they shape your narrative, how they can be harnessed to tell your story effectively, and how they can help build your author brand. In this article, we cover strategies to help you do all of these.

 

Here are a few strategies to keep in mind:

 

1.     Reframe Your Perception

Instead of seeing your writing journey as a constant struggle to overcome weaknesses, view it as an exciting opportunity to maximize your strengths. Your strengths are your secret weapons. They’re the pillars that uphold your writing. Without them, your writing would be a mere skeleton, devoid of the color and vitality, which brings it to life. Value them, nurture them, and watch as they transform your writing from good to extraordinary.

 

 

2.     Embrace & Leverage Your Unique Voice

Don’t shy away from your distinct style. Even if it’s different from conventional norms, your unique voice is your biggest strength. Nurture and develop your voice. Refining your strengths is a continuous process.

 

To establish a unique writing style, start by identifying your key strengths. Are you good at writing vivid descriptions, creating realistic dialogue, or constructing complex characters? Whatever your strengths may be, integrate them into your writing consciously and consistently. Over time, these strengths will shape your unique writing style, making your work distinct and recognizable.

 

3.     Learn from Others—But Be Yourself

Learn from other writers, but don’t try to replicate them. Their strengths are not yours. Recognize your unique abilities and incorporate them into your work. You can find an abundance of resources that can all be instrumental in helping you identify and boost your writing strengths.

 

To enhance your writing strengths, find examples of authors who excel in the areas you’re good at. Read and carefully analyze their work. Pay attention to how they craft their sentences, create suspense, or describe a scene. Learn from their techniques, adopt what suits you, and try out similar strategies in your own writing. If you’re good at telling stories, enhance this skill by learning more about how to structure a plot, control the pace, and develop characters. Reading the works of master authors can offer valuable lessons.

 

A new writer and brilliant engineer recently joined our writers’ group, He wanted to write a book about his innovative ideas and a few patents. He had a lot of technical knowledge, but he said he struggled with expressing it in an engaging way. He asked the group for help improving his writing skills and his potential as an author.

 

We worked together on developing his voice, his structure, and his storytelling techniques. At one meeting, he brought a draft of his first chapter. We were all amazed by how much he had improved. He had written a captivating introduction, a clear thesis statement, and a compelling narrative. He also added some humor and anecdotes to make his book more relatable.

 

We were proud of him and his progress. I called him to congratulate him and ask him how he did it. He said, “Well, I followed the group’s advice and read a lot of books in my genre. I also watched some TED talks and documentaries to get inspired. And then I just wrote what I felt and what I wanted to say.” His enthusiasm and dedication were impressive. 

 

4.     Flex Your Writing Strengths

Regularly take on writing projects that allow you to showcase your strengths. Your writing strengths can significantly influence your choice of genre. For example, if you have a knack for building suspense, you might excel in thriller or mystery genres. On the other hand, if you’re good at expressing emotions and developing relationships between characters, romance or drama could be your forte. Knowing your writing strengths helps you align your passion with the genre where you can truly shine. This boosts your confidence, and it lets your readers see the best of your work.

 

If you switch genres, you don’t have to abandon your writing strengths. For example, if you’re good at humor but want to write drama, you can use your humor to create contrast or irony in your drama, making it more nuanced. You can also learn new skills and techniques that suit your desired genre better with practice and feedback.

 

5.     Use Your Strengths to Build an Author Brand

Building an author brand relies heavily on the distinctiveness of your writing style. If, for example, your strength lies in vivid descriptive writing, incorporate that into your works consistently. This forms a unique identity that readers associate with your name. Over time, this consistency and distinctiveness will establish your author brand, attracting readers who appreciate your writing strengths. For more about building an author brand, see Build an Author Brand: Captivate and Connect with Readers.

 

TIP: For more strategies on developing your writing style, see Transform Your Writing Style: 4 Tips for New Authors.

 

Wrap Up

As a writer, you have the power to shape your own perception of yourself and your work. Embrace and leverage your unique voice to create stories or non-fiction that resonate with your audience and reflect your personality. Continue to learn from others who have succeeded in your genre or niche, but you can also be yourself and follow your own vision. Flex your writing strengths and use them to craft engaging and compelling narratives showcasing your skills and talents. And use your strengths to build an author brand to attract readers, publishers, and opportunities.

 

Writing is a journey of continuous learning and improvement. It involves conscious effort. We hope these strategies have equipped you with the insights and tools needed to forge your way forward in your writing career. Remember, you are a writer with a unique voice and a unique story to tell. Use your strengths to make it happen.

 

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