What is good writing?

What does it mean to “be” a writer?

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6 Comments

  1. Good writing. Hmmmnnn. Something that evokes feeling. It doesn’t have to be formulaic, in fact, better if it’s not. Just interesting and something that makes me pause and think.

    To be a writer. I think blogging has taught me much about that. It means you have a burning desire to express the thoughts you harbour and you have the daring to expose those thoughts for all to see. I never thought I’d be a writer, but blogging has changed all that.

  2. This is a very complicated question, when you really analyze it. Be here’s my first take: Good writing conveys exactly what the writer means — what she is thinking, feeling, believing through words and images. The challenge of good writing for the writer is to be true to herself. I think the best writers are clear about who they are and care about communicating clearly. For fiction writing, the writer has an even greater challenge: express the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of her characters, through words and images, even when they do not reflect theirs. That’s double clarity!

  3. I get frustrated when kids tell me they “can’t write well.” That’s crap. Writing is a skill. It only becomes a talent for a rare few. Good writing can be taught. Good writing is organized, thought through, and usually seeks to answer some question.

  4. First thoughts …

    Good writing is writing that succeeds in making a connection through words.

    To be a writer is to be someone interested in making connections through words.

  5. Good writing is something easy to understand by the person who reads it.

    To be a writer requires a lot of expertise and the capacity to express what you feel, your ideas and connect with your readers.

  6. Good writing is writing that communicates something larger to the reader…a picture, a moment, an emotion.

    I think “being” a writer is different for everyone. Some people write privately for themselves and never share their work with others, but I wouldn’t say that they aren’t writers. And some people who write a great deal may not “be” writers.

    I think to “be” a writer is to want to write, to have the desire to share, and to actively engage in writing regularly, whether that writing is for private or public consumption.

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