Do writers have a personality type?
Some themes that seem to run in writer’s
lives are, in varying degrees; introversion,
shyness, a tendency toward solitude, a
studious nature,
a strong goal orientation, ability to empathize,
an intuitive thought process, perseverance,
extreme high productivity, and (in a relatively
new category), they might be considered
“highly sensitive people.”
Introversion, shyness and the “highly
sensitive people” moniker involve three
separate, distinctly different sets of attributes.
Shyness has more to do with anxiety around social situations. Shy people tend to feel more
anxious when meeting strangers, when facing large groups, and have trouble getting out of
their comfort zones to network, do interviews, and when involved in intrapersonal activity.
The term “introvert” generally implies that someone is more involved in their inner world than
other people who’d be considered extroverts.
Extroverts are said to get their energy form interactions and in social situations. Introverts
tap into an energy that emanates from within.
Introverts are therefore thought to be able to remain focused for long periods in solitary
activities on a receptive level, like reading, studying and mastering – math, say, or language,
taking in data and storing it.
On the expressive level, they are similarly thought to be able to focus longer and more
efficiently when playing around with ideas, writing, painting, sculpting, inventing
expressing themselves through the creative process.
This doesn’t mean that extroverts aren’t creative; it means that introverts may thrive on the
process of solitary creation, while extroverts tend to do so in meetings, or with others, and
in social situations.
While people think of introverts as quiet, well-mannered people who bottle emotions, and
keep their thoughts to themselves — sometimes introverts can come alive, performing or
speaking in front of crowds.
Consider some actors, who are extremely shy, or writers like Mark Twain, who – once out of
their comfort zones could thrive on stage.
Highly sensitive people tend to process everything, especially sensory data and
emotional experience, very thoroughly, catching subtleties and shades of meaning others
might not.
While watching a film, for example, highly sensitive people may actually cry during moving
scenes, or feel pain while watching a scene portraying some physical ordeal.
Highly sensitive people are thought to process experience at a deeper level. They’re thought
to be generally more intuitive and drawn into the process of trying to figure things out.
They’re also thought to be more empathic and, therefore more likely to be more emotionally
reactive when observing another person’s struggles, or when processing fictional accounts
of people facing adversity.
Highly sensitive people are thought to expend more psychic energy in making decisions,
considering every side of the situation before acting.
You might think of a writer, anguished over which way the story should unfold, what would
their characters do, and other similar questions.
This tendency to consider so many possibilities can result in writers finding more interesting,
or more original approaches to storytelling. It can also explain why writers may
experience occasional, or even recurring creative blocks.
When observing writers’ behaviors and traits, certain other tendencies come to mind. There
are some writers who fit into a category that might be described as self-destructive.
The notion that creating art in any form can be frustrating and even agonizing has been
around since the beginning of time. The Agony and The Ecstasy, for example, the story
of Michelangelo’s tortuous experience painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling is a case in point.
We’ve all heard about writers like Hemmingway, Kafka, and Sylvia Plath, who famously
“suffered” for their art. Part of being a writer involves being severely critical of one’s own
work.
There are many stories of writers who’ve worked months or years only to find their work
substandard, throw it out and start over from scratch.
Writers might go through their entire careers without ever being discovered, or widely read.
Are writers predisposed to self-sacrifice? It’s hard to say, although, they do seem to be
willing to persevere against unbelievable odds.
Stress levels, then can be extremely high in writers. Not surprisingly the, we see writers
who self-soothe with drugs, with alcohol, or give in to the stress entirely, become
depressed or even suicidal.
Some writers are larger than life characters. Some are eccentric. When you think of Truman
Capote or Hunter Thompson, you think of lifestyle of indulgence and extremes.
Some writers even feel that without their neuroses, and their demons, they wouldn’t be as
creative.
It’s obviously impossible to define a writers’ personality. However, from observation alone,
many or all of the tendencies described here seem to come into play. While every writer is
different, there do seem to be an array of shared characteristics.
If you have any questions about the experience of being a writer, or just need to talk about
what’s going on in your career, or just get feedback on your latest project,
check out my website.
Image credit: Creative Commons writers 2014 by Dan Masa is licensed under CC By 2.0
Some themes that seem to run in writer’s lives are, in varying degrees; introversion,
shyness, a tendency toward solitude, a
studious nature,
a strong goal orientation, ability to empathize,
an intuitive thought process, perseverance,
extreme high productivity, and (in a relatively
new category), they might be considered
“highly sensitive people.”
Introversion, shyness and the “highly
sensitive people” moniker involve three
separate, distinctly different sets of attributes.
Shyness has more to do with anxiety around social situations. Shy people tend to feel more
anxious when meeting strangers, when facing large groups, and have trouble getting out of
their comfort zones to network, do interviews, and when involved in intrapersonal activity.
The term “introvert” generally implies that someone is more involved in their inner world than
other people who’d be considered extroverts.
Extroverts are said to get their energy form interactions and in social situations. Introverts
tap into an energy that emanates from within.
Introverts are therefore thought to be able to remain focused for long periods in solitary
activities on a receptive level, like reading, studying and mastering – math, say, or language,
taking in data and storing it.
On the expressive level, they are similarly thought to be able to focus longer and more
efficiently when playing around with ideas, writing, painting, sculpting, inventing
expressing themselves through the creative process.
This doesn’t mean that extroverts aren’t creative; it means that introverts may thrive on the
process of solitary creation, while extroverts tend to do so in meetings, or with others, and
in social situations.
While people think of introverts as quiet, well-mannered people who bottle emotions, and
keep their thoughts to themselves — sometimes introverts can come alive, performing or
speaking in front of crowds.
Consider some actors, who are extremely shy, or writers like Mark Twain, who – once out of
their comfort zones could thrive on stage.
Highly sensitive people tend to process everything, especially sensory data and
emotional experience, very thoroughly, catching subtleties and shades of meaning others
might not.
While watching a film, for example, highly sensitive people may actually cry during moving
scenes, or feel pain while watching a scene portraying some physical ordeal.
Highly sensitive people are thought to process experience at a deeper level. They’re thought
to be generally more intuitive and drawn into the process of trying to figure things out.
They’re also thought to be more empathic and, therefore more likely to be more emotionally
reactive when observing another person’s struggles, or when processing fictional accounts
of people facing adversity.
Highly sensitive people are thought to expend more psychic energy in making decisions,
considering every side of the situation before acting.
You might think of a writer, anguished over which way the story should unfold, what would
their characters do, and other similar questions.
This tendency to consider so many possibilities can result in writers finding more interesting,
or more original approaches to storytelling. It can also explain why writers may
experience occasional, or even recurring creative blocks.
When observing writers’ behaviors and traits, certain other tendencies come to mind. There
are some writers who fit into a category that might be described as self-destructive.
The notion that creating art in any form can be frustrating and even agonizing has been
around since the beginning of time. The Agony and The Ecstasy, for example, the story
of Michelangelo’s tortuous experience painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling is a case in point.
We’ve all heard about writers like Hemmingway, Kafka, and Sylvia Plath, who famously
“suffered” for their art. Part of being a writer involves being severely critical of one’s own
work.
There are many stories of writers who’ve worked months or years only to find their work
substandard, throw it out and start over from scratch.
Writers might go through their entire careers without ever being discovered, or widely read.
Are writers predisposed to self-sacrifice? It’s hard to say, although, they do seem to be
willing to persevere against unbelievable odds.
Stress levels, then can be extremely high in writers. Not surprisingly the, we see writers
who self-soothe with drugs, with alcohol, or give in to the stress entirely, become
depressed or even suicidal.
Some writers are larger than life characters. Some are eccentric. When you think of Truman
Capote or Hunter Thompson, you think of lifestyle of indulgence and extremes.
Some writers even feel that without their neuroses, and their demons, they wouldn’t be as
creative.
It’s obviously impossible to define a writers’ personality. However, from observation alone,
many or all of the tendencies described here seem to come into play. While every writer is
different, there do seem to be an array of shared characteristics.
If you have any questions about the experience of being a writer, or just need to talk about
what’s going on in your career, or just get feedback on your latest project,
check out my website.
Image credit: Creative Commons writers 2014 by Dan Masa is licensed under CC By 2.0
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