Just What Kind Of Writer Is The ENTP?
Intro:
I decided to use MBTI as a system of trying to help new writers find their voice and style. If you don’t know what the MBTI is or you need a quick overview click for my intro article here.
I think that personality has a big influence on writing, understanding your personality will be key to understanding how to come across to others. There are many writers who have become popular based on the personality of their writing style, this is often referred to as voice. A writer’s voice can be incredibly magnetic and engaging.
Think about it like this, if you were stuck on a long bus ride with someone you’d rather them be interesting enough to listen to or boring enough to lull you to sleep. You never want to be in the middle. Writers will die by being lost in the pack. How should you stand out? By understanding what makes you unique, what is your flavor or style. Understanding this as a new writer will help you understand what kind of audience to attract, and what kind of things to write.
I am absolutely not saying that you should base your entire writing career in a multiple choice personality test. In fact there could be incredible value in doing exactly the opposite of what you’re comfortable with. For new writers, however, it’s best to learn to walk before you run.
Please use this as a guide to suggest a direction and don’t take this as gospel.
Note: For the MBTI experts.
I am not breaking type down by cognitive functions, or even the letters. I think these things are nuts and bolts details that are for those interested, not everyone. Type descriptions should be fluid and comprehensive to better understand the whole archetype of character.
Type overview:
The ENTP loves to learn. If there was one thing that could be said of this type it is that this type of personality loves to learn about anything and everything.
Typically ENTPs are not all that interested in people and may have difficulty connecting to them on a deeper level. However they are good in groups of people and can end up making people enjoy their company.
The ENTP loves to learn information and theorize about the information they are learning about. You see the ENTP do this immediately with the information they are given, they will immediately apply all of their past knowledge to what they are learning at the moment and attempt to integrate the new information with the known information.
ENTPs love newness, they love to learn new things. They are the type of person to stay up until 3 in the morning researching a topic online that they just discovered the night before.
Examples of famous celebrities:
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Tina Fey, Larry David, Bill Maher, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Lena Dunham.
What kind of writer are they?
These types of writers typically end up having something to do with combining science and writing. It could be science fiction, or science journalism, or something similar to that.
Their unique ability to absorb large amounts of information and then process it gives them an ability to juggle many complex theories and facts together and make a story out of it.
They tend to be very humorous and witty in their writing as well.
Advice to the writer:
One of the things that I’ve noticed is the ENTPs inability to genuinely show emotions, particularly when it comes to vulnerabile emotions like sentimentality. They usually portray themselves as someone who takes nothing seriously and is never offended.
This can be a problem when were talking about the inherent emotional and revelatory nature of storytelling.
It can be beneficial to find someone who is grounded and sentimental who can show you the value of connecting with your fellow human beings without sharing theories and information, but just sharing an emotional connection.
Takeaway:
The ENTP loves to take large amounts of information and process it for their own understanding.
They love to joke around, and it can end up being because they have a hard time showing people what they take seriously.
