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.