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7 Essential Skills for Writers (That Aren’t Writing)

Maria Elharaoui
The Startup
Published in
6 min readJul 2, 2019

There’s more to being a writer than just writing.

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay

In the fifth grade, I wrote a poem about getting braces. I wasn’t that excited about it, but my teacher thought it was brilliant. This was the moment I became a writer.

It was one of the first times my writing skills were recognized and applauded. Until that point, I didn’t even really know I had any writing skills. I hadn’t worked any harder than the other students. I hadn’t slaved away to write the poem, agonizing over every word. I hadn’t even written more than one draft.

In essence, I hadn’t even really tried.

So what happened? Well, it turned out that I had a natural ability for writing. And that ability has helped me tremendously. Of course, since that time, I haven’t just relied on my natural ability. I’ve worked and studied to become a better writer. And now? I’ve made a career out of writing.

But along the way, I’ve learned some pretty important lessons about what it takes to make it as a writer. Yes, you need to be good at writing. But that’s not all.

Here are seven skills, other than writing, that you need to be a successful writer:

1. Communication Skills

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Maria Elharaoui
Maria Elharaoui

Written by Maria Elharaoui

Copywriter. Blogger. Wife. Bibliophile. Romcom Lover. Tea Addict. Grammar Nerd. Email me: maria.elharaoui@gmail.com

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