The Diamond

 
An image created by Helen Sword for her Writing BASE diagnostic tool.
 
 

THE DIAMOND

Your Diamond profile, shared by around 7% of academic and professional writers, shows that you have given yourself relatively high ratings (6 or above) for your Artisanal and Emotional habits but low or moderate ratings (5 or below) for your Behavioral and Social habits. This profile is called the Diamond because you possess brilliance and inner fire in your writing, but that energy may be formed in isolation and accessed infrequently.

Your strengths and challenges create a distinctive pattern:

  • You feel skilled and articulate as a writer, with strong technical abilities (Artisanal).

  • You generally enjoy writing and find emotional satisfaction in the process (Emotional).

  • You do not feel particularly productive and struggle with consistent habits (Behavioral).

  • You tend to write in social isolation without much collaborative input (Social).

This combination means can produce beautiful, emotionally engaging work, but less frequently than you might wish and without the benefit of diverse perspectives and collegial support.

ACTION PLAN

To broaden the BASE upon which your writing practice is built, consider drawing on your confidence, skill, and pleasure in writing to establish stronger routines and social connections:

  1. Leverage Your Enjoyment to Build Behavioral Habits

    • Schedule regular writing sessions during times when you typically feel most inspired.

    • Create writing routines that maximize the aspects of writing you find most pleasurable.

    • Use your emotional connection to writing as motivation during periods when more discipline is needed.

  2. Connect Your Craft with Community

    • Seek out writing groups or partners who appreciate the quality and emotional depth of your work.

    • Consider how selective feedback might further enhance your already strong writing skills.

    • Share your artisanal insights with others to build meaningful connections around craft.

  3. Develop Systems That Honor Your Strengths

    • Create behavioral frameworks that protect rather than constrain your creative enjoyment.

    • Design approaches to productive writing that accommodate your quality standards and emotional needs.

    • Experiment with social writing experiences that energize rather than drain your creative resources.

  4. Address Behavioral and Social Dimensions Together

    • Join or create accountability structures that provide both productivity support and community.

    • Schedule regular writing dates with trusted peers to address both dimensions simultaneously.

    • Track how social interaction affects your writing consistency to find your optimal balance.

The WriteSPACE can help you with all of these things!

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