What Makes a GREAT Writer?

What really makes a person a writer? Creating a super popular blog with thousands of followers, writing a book, self-publishing a successful e-book, working as a journalist for a national newspaper or magazine? I think there are a lot of things that make a writer. But what I am really wondering is what makes a person a GREAT writer? Is it after 20 or 30 years of work, after selling a million copies of their latest book, after landing an incredible literary agent, after gaining international recognition? I suppose that is what many of us in this society would consider as great. However, after really thinking about this question and examining myself a little, I believe there a few key things that make a great writer. A great writer is someone who writes with no fear, writes without limits, writes honestly and openly, writes without regard as to what the critics might think, writes with confidence, writes from the heart, writes without second guessing, writes with integrity. The hardest part is picking up that pen or opening up that laptop. After that, I believe any of us have it in us to be a GREAT writer.

Don't Lose Sight of Your Audience

As an author, it can be really easy to lose sight of who your audience is. I was putting final touches on my second book and I found myself becoming more and more particular about each and every sentence. I then reminded myself that this book is geared towards second graders. It is of course important to make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors for this (and any) age group. However, I had to keep reminding myself that this book was for the readers, not the critics. And I am pretty sure that the 6 through 8 year olds who get this book will enjoy the read. 

I Think da Vinci Had it Right

"Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication". That is still probably one of my favorite quotes. I am sure Leonardo da Vinci was referring to works of art when he made this statement. However, I cannot help but feel like this can be applied to all aspects of life. In this day and age, it seems so many of  us are obsessed with the finer things in life. And we work hard to acquire these things. I have learned though, that it's not so hard to be happy with less. As long as we have what we need, that should be enough. Whether it be simplicity with the style of our homes, the things we acquire, our artwork, or with how we raise our kids. We do not have to have it all to be sophisticated, sometimes a whole lot less makes for a more sophisticated work of art, a more sophisticated person, or a more sophisticated family.