Just My Type explores the ways our personality, fears and motivations impact our writing and, using personality types, provides suggestions for tailoring your writing practice to who you are as a unique, creative human.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most popular personality type systems. It includes sixteen total personality types, each consisting of four traits:
- introverted (I) or extroverted (E)
- intuitive (N) or sensing (S)
- thinking (T) or feeling (F)
- perceiving (P) or judging (J)
Understanding how these traits present themselves and manifest in our lives can help us have more acceptance and compassion for ourselves. When we know and understand ourselves better, we can begin to live and work in ways that feel more personal and authentic. As creatives and writers, finding the right routines, processes, motivations, and inspirations for ourselves as unique individuals with different needs can ultimately help us reach our biggest creative goals and wildest writing dreams.
To find out your type, you can take a free test here.
As a creative person, Substack has quickly become one of my favorite platforms. Many creatives and writers are using Substack to not only share their more of their own writing and creative work, but also to dispense plenty of creative advice and inspiration for others. To help you find the perfect Substack newsletter to inspire you as a writer, I’ve tailored the recommendations below to an MBTI group with similar characteristics and tendencies.
The Analysts: INTJ, INTP, ENTJ, ENTP
Analysts include the Intuitive and Thinking types. They tend to be rational, logical and strategic. They are also deeply curious, driven to improve themselves and become more efficient and productive, and love creative problem-solving.
Analyst writers will enjoy reading SubMakk, a Substack newsletter by author Rebecca Makkai. SubMakk provides a variety of content that will fascinate Analysts and inspire their curiousity, from book recommendations to interesting Zillow round-ups, but Analysts will particularly appreciate all of the practical and specific writing advice Makkai generously shares.
If you’re not sure where to start, check out these posts full of excellent writing advice:
Six Ways to Name Your Characters
Your Feelings: How to Ignore Them
The Diplomats: INFJ, INFP, ENFJ, ENFP
Diplomats include the Intuitive and Feeling types. They tend to be empathetic, generous and imaginative. They often set big goals for themselves but can struggle to take action on them. Diplomats are often striving for a better understanding of themselves since that can ultimately help them reach their biggest dreams.
Diplomat writers will love Today You Will Write, a Substack newsletter by author TaraShea Nesbit. Today You Will Write provides the encouragement to keep writing when the writing process gets difficult and messy. Diplomats will appreciate the weekly nudge from Nesbit to keep writing anyway, and the regular encouragement and advice will help them get unstuck and take action, helping them get closer to achieving their writing goals and dreams.
Ready to get started? Get inspired by these posts:
Writing Middles: The Grand Canyon Problem
Writing a Book in a Month – 5 Research Tips
In A Story Swamp? Try a Ghost Text.
The Sentinels: ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ, ESFJ
Sentinels include the Sensing and Judging types. Sentinels love to spend time improving themselves and tend to be very organized, focused and self-motivated. They thrive with consistency, stability, order and solid routines.
Sentinel writers will love Craft Talk, a Substack newsletter by author Jami Attenberg. Craft Talk began as an annual project called #1000wordsofsummer, a two-week long project every year in which writers, with encouragement and support from Attenberg, aim to write one thousand words a day for two weeks. Outside of these two weeks, Attenberg sends out regular posts about writing, creativity, publishing and more. Sentinels will enjoy having a focused goal to work toward during the #1000wordsofsummer project, as well as the community, accountability and inspiration throughout the rest of the year.
Not sure where to begin? Start here:
The Cracks and the Crevices: On Writing with a Full-Time Job
The Explorers: ISTP, ISFP, ESTP, ESFP
Explorers include the Sensing and Prospecting types. They are known for being are spontaneous and flexible. They love trying new things, pursuing new ideas, and finding new tools and techniques; however, they can struggle with staying focused for long periods of time.
Explorers will enjoy No Failure, Only Practice, a Substack Newsletter by author Matt Bell. No Failure, Only Practice is a newsletter where Bell shares writing exercises, along with craft advice and essays. Explorers will love getting to freely respond to the writing exercises and will feel inspired to experiment with their writing in a fun, no-pressure way, and they will also appreciate the spontaneous nature of Bell’s other writing and craft essays.
Want to dive in? Here are a few posts to check out:
#41: Frodo Baggins Dreams of Hobbit Helmets
#37: Chapter Beginnings (and Transitions)
Exercise #23: Activating Backstory with Dialogue Instead of Flashbacks and Info Dumps