The Well

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

THE WELL

Your Well profile, shared by around 3% of academic and professional writers, shows that you have given yourself a relatively high rating (6 or above) for your Emotional habits but low or moderate ratings (5 or below) for your Behavioral, Artisanal, and Social habits. This profile is called the Well because you contain a deep reservoir of positive feelings about writing but may lack the structured pathways to channel this emotional resource effectively.

Your strengths and challenges create a distinctive pattern. You generally enjoy writing and have a positive emotional connection to the process (Emotional), and yet you struggle in other areas:

  • You find it hard to establish consistent writing routines and productivity (Behavioral).

  • You lack confidence in your craftsmanship and technical writing abilities (Artisanal).

  • You tend to work in isolation without much feedback or collaboration (Social).

You are fortunate to be able to draw on a deep reserve of positive emotions that many writers lack; however, you lack the supporting structures, skills, and connections to fully express this enthusiasm in productive, polished, socially enriched writing.

ACTION PLAN

To broaden the BASE upon which your writing practice is built, consider drawing on your pleasure in writing to establish stronger habits, skills, and connections:

  1. Channel Your Emotional Connection into Productive Habits

    • Identify what you enjoy most about writing and design routines that maximize these elements.

    • Create writing rituals that trigger your positive feelings and make writing sessions more appealing.

    • Use your natural enthusiasm as motivation to establish consistent writing times, even if brief.

  2. Build Artisanal Skills That Enhance Your Enjoyment

    • Focus on developing specific writing techniques that align with your interests and preferences.

    • Use your emotional resilience to persist through the learning curve of new writing skills.

    • Celebrate improvement in your craft to create a positive feedback loop between emotion and skill.

  3. Find Social Connections That Amplify Your Enthusiasm

    • Seek writing communities or partners who share your positive approach to writing.

    • Share your enjoyment of writing while gaining technical and productivity insights from others.

    • Consider how collaborative writing projects might enhance your experience and skills.

  4. Create an Integrated Approach That Preserves Joy

    • Design productivity systems that feel supportive rather than restrictive.

    • Develop feedback mechanisms that build confidence while improving skills.

    • Balance structure with spontaneity to maintain emotional connection while building consistency.

The WriteSPACE can help you with all of these things!

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

 
3%Victoria Silwood