A few months back. my dear writer friend, Suzanne McKenna Link, invited me to a virtual weekend workshop with the Long Island Romance Writers writing group. I am by no means a writer of romance, but I do read them, and often edit them. For a small fee, I got to sit in several workshop sessions, the last of which featured guest speaker, Becca Syme.
I’m not sure what I expected in a workshop about writing strengths, but I am a firm believer in fate. The magnanimous creativity gods saw fit to put this presentation on my writing path (can you say #connectedness?). Turns out, it was exactly what I needed, when I needed it, to revitalize every part of my writer being.
Clifton Strengths
The first part of Becca’s presentation introduced us to the Clifton Strengths assessment put out by Gallup. Yep, the same folks who do all the polling. Similar to Myers-Briggs or enneagram testing, this assessment seeks to identify characteristics in how you approach problems and challenges. But trust me when I tell you, the insight of this test is better than anything you’ve ever experienced before. And what’s more, if you want to learn how to apply those strengths to your writing, then Becca Syme is the woman you want to follow.
There is a cost for this assessment, but it is well worth the investment.
The Better Faster Writer Academy
As the home base for her course offerings, this website is a boon of information. Take any of her classes and you’ll get a free assessment and gain access to the community with tons of information on how to use your 34 strengths to your best writing advantage.
I took the Strengths for Writers course, which comes with two one-on-one coaching sessions. I’m not kidding when I said it revitalized me. I’ve never been so excited to write, edit, market, and just dig into life because I have a better understanding of who I am and how to use my innate strengths to their full advantage. And Becca helped me figure out what was wrong with my current WIP in about five minutes. She’s that good.
Becca’s Other Resources
If you don’t have the time or the budget for a full-blow course, consider reading some of her books. Or following her QuitCast series on YouTube. You can also find her on Patreon and Clubhouse.
Becca and her staff have helped thousands of writers become better, stronger writers and are a veritable fountain of knowledge and experience. If you are serious about developing and maintaining a successful writing career, this is where you want to be.
Have you taken the Clifton Strengths assessment? What are your top five?
