{"id":2371671,"date":"2016-05-12T09:47:53","date_gmt":"2016-05-12T14:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/?p=2371671"},"modified":"2022-11-15T22:37:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T04:37:07","slug":"mapping-writing-traits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/mapping-writing-traits\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Your Writing Traits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2371677\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2371677 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest-125x125.jpg 125w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/oyan-blog-mapping-pinterest.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>By Daniel Schwabauer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/identity-playing-writing-strengths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Part 1, on the significance of finding your writing identity \u00bb<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/writing-identity-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Part 2, on the distinction between Wordsmiths and Storytellers \u00bb<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>In my last blog post I suggested that writers tend to be either Wordsmiths or Storytellers. Wordsmiths focus on <strong>images created by beautiful words<\/strong>. Storytellers focus on <strong>concepts and interesting ideas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously this is too simple. The Wordsmith\/Storyteller (W\/S) scale is only one-dimensional, and there is more to writing than choosing good words or finding clever ideas. Furthermore, <strong>no writer is wholly one thing or the other<\/strong>. We are each a Wordsmith and a Storyteller\u2014an image person and a concept person. We must be, because <strong>all stories require both images and concepts to wor<\/strong>k.<\/p>\n<p>So I don&#8217;t believe in shoe-horning every author into the smallest possible box. But if I want to understand my own strengths and weaknesses, the W\/S scale is a good place to begin. Better still is this two-dimensional chart for mapping four traits simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.001.jpeg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2371672\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2371672 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.001-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Writing ID Blog Post Images.001\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.001.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.001-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.001-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThe horizontal axis is the just the W\/S scale renamed. Wordsmiths are basically Voice people. Storytellers are concerned more with Ideas and Themes.<\/p>\n<p>The vertical axis is the time-honored Character\/ Plot scale. People sometimes talk as though these two categories are mutually exclusive, as if every writer is either a character writer or a plot writer. But of course every writer is both. <strong>We just tend to find one easier than the other.<\/strong> Our talents are usually lopsided.<\/p>\n<p>Notice that the chart splits each quadrant down the middle, creating eight areas. The idea is that your tendencies will fall on one side or the other. Even within this quadrant there is dominance.<\/p>\n<p>So, a \u201cCT\u201d writer finds characters easier to create than compelling plots. And she\u2019s more storyteller than wordsmith; she leans towards ideas and concepts and themes rather than imagery and word-play. But the CT writer is not a TC writer. <strong>The CT writer leans most of all on her characters.<\/strong> She uses ideas and concepts to round out her story people. She may not even notice her themes until her characters do.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cTC\u201d writer has the same dominance along each line, but is driven mostly by Theme or Idea. This writer\u2019s characters may be witty or terrifying or fascinating or complex (or all of the above), but whatever they are, they exist because the world of the writer\u2019s Theme gave them air to breathe. <strong>The Idea came first, and its people followed.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Instead of going through each of the other six types, I\u2019ve filled in the names of some of the writers on the bookshelf next to my desk. My placement of these authors may be flawed, but they\u2019ll serve as examples.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.002.jpeg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2371673\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2371673 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.002-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Writing ID Blog Post Images.002\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.002.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.002-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.002-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nJust because I put Twain in the CV section doesn&#8217;t mean I think he was bad at plotting and never had any good ideas. But Twain was <strong>more concerned with people than story arcs<\/strong>. And his voice is far more distinctive than his ideas and concepts. In fact, one could argue that his body of work only has one theme: \u201cAren\u2019t we humans foolish?\u201d <strong>But that one theme wears a hundred different faces.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To take the point further, I sometimes ask people which scene in Twain\u2019s books they find most memorable. The answer is always the same: Tom Sawyer white-washing the fence. That scene perfectly captures Twain\u2019s view of human nature, and it does so in his <strong>unmistakable voice<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Over in the TP section we find G.K. Chesterton caring much more about Theme and Plot than Characters and Voice. Oh, his voice is distinctive, but that\u2019s not why he\u2019s loved as an author. <strong>Chesterton\u2019s superpower is the paradox.<\/strong> He sees paradoxes in everything: in cheese and dandelions and God and marriage and sanity and the search for truth and even in the writing of mystery novels. But paradox is not a theme; it is just the indication of a mind fascinated by puzzles and ideas. His themes range widely, even as his work ranges from poetry to short stories to novels to biographies to essays.<\/p>\n<p>Chesterton cares more about plot than character; <strong>his characters exist to make the plot make sense<\/strong>. And his plots exist to give structure to his themes.<\/p>\n<p>C.S. Lewis, who admired Chesterton, is similarly Theme-focused. But Lewis gravitated to characters rather than plot. He didn&#8217;t need outstanding characters when he found the right theme or concept. But he much preferred <strong>creating interesting people<\/strong> to creating interesting plots. In fact, Lewis\u00a0often borrowed his plots from others. (For that matter, his characters are often borrowed\u00a0too).<\/p>\n<p>But I don&#8217;t care because <strong>Lewis makes me see the world differently<\/strong>. And when he does, it is always through the lens of a character rather than a story arc. Narnia changed me not because I saw a lamppost or wardrobe or a country where it is always winter and never Christmas. Narnia changed me because it introduced me to Aslan and Reepicheep and Puddleglum.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Where do you fit?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Most of us are prone to misdiagnosing ourselves. To really understand your own strengths and weaknesses, you\u2019ll need feedback from beta readers. You\u2019ll need the opinions of <strong>people who have read a lot of your work and are willing to talk to you honestly about it<\/strong>. Most of all, you\u2019ll need to appraise your own talents fairly. What do you do well? Where do you fit on these two scales?<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that <strong>your talents and abilities will change over time<\/strong>. Whatever insight this chart provides will be mostly a snapshot of your skills at the moment. The advantage of quantifying them now is that it can help you decide what sort of writing you are best suited for.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t waste time trying only to perfect your weaknesses. <strong>Instead, hone your strengths.<\/strong> We don\u2019t read Twain for plot. We don&#8217;t read Chesterton for character. And readers won&#8217;t buy your books because you made your weaknesses slightly less bad. <strong>Concentrate on becoming a rockstar at your dominant skill.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To place yourself on this chart, give yourself a score from 1 to 10 in each of the four elements. A writer who scores out at Theme [9], Voice [3], Plot [2], Character [7] would be a TC.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.003.jpeg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2371674\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2371674 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.003-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Writing ID Blog Post Images.003\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.003.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.003-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/05\/Writing-ID-Blog-Post-Images.003-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wherever you place yourself, this chart will still be a vast oversimplification. But perhaps it will lead to a little self-reflection and deeper insight into the sorts of things you are really passionate about.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, of course, <strong>self-analysis is no substitute for the act of creation<\/strong>. Finding your writing identity will always be more about writing than making charts.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><em>Into which of these sections would you place yourself?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/03\/Daniel_Schwabauer_500w.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1602\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1602\" src=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/03\/Daniel_Schwabauer_500w.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel_Schwabauer_500w\" width=\"143\" height=\"234\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Daniel Schwabauer,<\/strong> MA, is the creator of <a title=\"The One Year Adventure Novel creative writing program for high school students\" href=\"http:\/\/www.oneyearnovel.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>The One Year Adventure Novel<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>and<a title=\"Cover Story Writing middle school creative writing and language arts\" href=\"http:\/\/www.coverstorywriting.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em> Cover Story Writing<\/em><\/a>\u00a0creative writing courses. His professional work includes stage plays, radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns,\u00a0comic books and scripting for the PBS animated series\u00a0<i>Auto-B-Good<\/i>. His young adult novels,\u00a0<a title=\"Runt the Brave by Daniel Schwabauer AMG Publishers\" href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/shop\/runt-the-brave-daniel-schwabauer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Runt the Brave<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\"Runt the Hunted by Daniel Schwabauer AMG Publishers\" href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/shop\/runt-the-hunted-daniel-schwabauer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Runt the Hunted<\/em><\/a>, have received numerous awards, including the 2005 Ben Franklin Award for Best New\u00a0Voice in Children\u2019s Literature and the 2008 Eric Hoffer Award. His\u00a0third book,\u00a0<em><a title=\"The Curse of the Seer by Daniel Schwabauer book 3 AMG Publishers\" href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/shop\/the-curse-of-the-seer-daniel-schwabauer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Curse of the Seer<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0released in the summer of 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Daniel Schwabauer<\/strong><br \/>\nI don&#8217;t believe in shoe-horning every author into the smallest possible box. But if I want to understand my own strengths and weaknesses, the W\/S scale is a good place to begin. Better still is this two-dimensional chart for mapping four traits simultaneously.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13744,"featured_media":2371677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42,11,40],"tags":[16065,16041,16061,16042,16064,16062,253,16063,16066],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-2371671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daniels-writing-log","category-writing","category-writing-tips-and-tools","tag-character","tag-finding-your-identity-as-a-writer","tag-finding-your-writing-identity","tag-identity","tag-plot","tag-storytellers-and-wordsmiths","tag-theme","tag-voice","tag-what-kind-of-writer-are-you","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.9 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mapping Your Writing Traits -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/clearwaterpress.com\/oneyearnovel\/blog\/mapping-writing-traits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mapping Your Writing Traits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Daniel Schwabauer I don&#039;t believe in shoe-horning every author into the smallest possible box. 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