I think most people understand stage presence in a performer like an actor or musician. It's some hard to define quality, a vibe or an aura that makes it so you can't resist looking at them when they are up there on stage. They command the stage, they own it. They give the feeling that they have the entire thing, including the audience, under complete control and have accounted for every detail.
It's a calm, quiet confidence that comes through whether the performance is loud and frantic or soft and reserved. It's also a kind of aloofness that stops short of being smug or condescending. It conveys the attitude that the performer is doing this because they believe in it, that they want you to enjoy it, but that is not why they are there. I don't think it can be faked - many try - but it probably can be learned.
My go-to example of a singer's stage presence is Gnarls Barkley performing "Crazy" on Letterman (it's on YouTube). Ceelo has that calm confidence and control even though he and the whole band are dressed in ridiculous schoolboy/girl uniforms. That contradiction seems to enhance it, whereas, from a less confident and talented performer, it would seem like a gimmick.
Writers can have it too. I think it is a really important thing. It means I can relax into a book or story, get immersed in it, and know that I will come out the other side with a rewarding experience,
For writers, my standard is Neal Stephenson. When he started his breakthrough novel, "Snow Crash", by announcing that the main character was named "Hiro Protagonist", he made it feel like a dare, a challenge. He dares the reader to find this too silly, too over the top to continue. We're going for a ride, a serious ride, so either strap in or get off the train right now. I couldn't put it down.
The writers that do this well bring something more than just a story to their work. They bring trust and confidence to the reader. The reader trusts that the ride they're about to take will be worth the time and effort and that they are in good hands.
Some musicians, actors, and other performers are just so good that they can succeed without it, but the ones that have it succeed better. Same with writers. Some writers are very good without this stage presence and are quite successful, but the ones that have it are the ones that readers return to again and again.
I wish I knew, as a writer, how to tell you how to write with stage presence. I can't. But I can tell you some things I've gleaned as a reader from the writers that I think do it well.
First and foremost, write with confidence. That doesn't mean bluster, cockiness, or throwing out lots of fancy words and sentence structures. It's a quiet confidence, writing that conveys that you know what you are doing, that the reader can trust you to lead him through this journey you're about to embark on. Make the reader believe that you believe in what you are saying. That belief, that confidence, will rub off on your readers.
Say what you mean, mean what you say, and say it unapologetically. Don't hedge. Don't hesitate and add unnecessary qualifiers. Don't soften statements with words and phrases like "a little bit" or "kind of". It is tempting as a writer to subtly apologize to the reader, or to try to justify a scene or event to the reader. Not in so many words, but in subtle ways such as over-describing a scene or setting or adding gratuitous back-story to a passage or an action. Don't. Instead...
Trust the reader. Trust is a two-way street. Trust that the reader knows what they want, and may decide that this is not for them. Trust that the readers who stick with it will be invested and willing to work with you to follow and understand what you have to say. Trust that they are capable of putting in that extra bit of intellectual work, to read between the lines, to make your story come alive in their mind. Trust that they want to be led through your story, but they don't need to be led by the hand and coddled. Lead, and trust that they will follow, or that they won't
Make every word count. This doesn't mean you have to write sparse, hyper-efficient prose. Your prose can be lush and rich, it can be sharp and terse, it can even be purple. But whatever it is, know why it is that. Know what every word, every sentence, every paragraph, and every scene does for your story and characters. Try to make each of those do double or triple duty. A passage that moves the plot can also reveal something about the character, lay some groundwork for future scenes, provide an insight to the character or to the reader, or resolve a prior conflict. Or whatever else you can think of.
Know what you're writing. Writers are often told to "write what you know", but that isn't always possible, and it isn't always good advice. Either way, your writing will be far better if you know things about your subject, whether it is a real-life place or person, a job or activity, or any other context your story takes place in, that readers might not know. If you don't already know, do research. Learn, first hand if possible, second hand otherwise, what it is like to be in that place, situation, or activity. Learn the lingo, learn the little trivial details that make it feel real and well-rounded, like a good character is. Not every detail has to find its way into your work, but if it is in your head while you are writing, your writing will feel richer and more sure-handed.
Know the rules of good writing so that you can deliberately break them. The rules are there for a reason, and in general, they make writing better. But sometimes they get in the way. Sometimes, they dilute what you mean to say, or force you to break the rhythm of how you're saying it. So break them, even these "rules", but know that you are doing it and why you are doing it.
It is easy to say that this is a quality that a writer just has or does not have, an ethereal talent that is there from the start. But I think it is a skill, one that can be learned. Yes, some writers naturally have it, but even those that don't can benefit from being more aware of it and learning the skill of it.
Do you know any writers that have this quiet confidence, this stage presence? Do you think you have it, that it shows in your writing?