Over at the NaNo Editors LiveJournal group one EdMo participant asked how they know whether they have talent, whether they are a "good" writer.

Like a lot of things in the business (or hobby) of writing it's more about you, the writer, than other writers, readers, editors, agents, award or competition judges.

I don't remember being particularly concerned about whether I was a good writer, whether I had talent or whether others thought so. I have always had a lot of support for my writing, from my English teachers at school to my parents and friends. I may have considered the question more if I hadn't had that support but I still had an almost unwavering belief that this is what I'm meant to do. After working for the past five years on five novels, a handful of short stories and absorbing everything about writing that I could that almost has been blown right out of the water. It's still hard sometimes but I know that I'm supposed to write.

Here was my response to the LJ question:

What defines a good writer? And who measures your writing against that defintion? The answer to both of those questions should be YOU.

If you know WHY you write then you can form a view of what being a successful writer is to you. This may be publication, it may not. Then you can strive to continually IMPROVE your writing to reach success as you have defined it.