What is good writing?

What is good writing? What does it look like?

The key to good writing is a clear and focused purpose. Regardless of writing genre, every piece must achieve its purpose in order to give meaning to the words. The purpose itself delves beyond the words. In descriptive writing, good writing aims to create an image in the mind of the reader. In informative writing, good writing aims to present important information while highlighting relevant details. While tangible writing elements are of the utmost importance- like correct grammar and spelling, intelligent word choice, riddance of verbiage, and a clear tone and style- the content within a piece is ultimately the crucial factor in determining the quality of writing. For example, the most eloquently written instruction manual is useless if the words lack instructional substance. For good writing, words must be strung together in an intentional and focused manner, always driving towards a point that is pushing towards a purpose.

What does good writing look like? Good writing…

…is keenly focused

…uses synonyms to avoid repetition

…possesses an expressive and appropriate tone

…maintains a unique style

…bears sentences that are clear and concise

…displays audience awareness

…presents new ideas to build off what is known

…avoids verbosity

…utilizes strong verbs- a strong verb speaks louder than a myriad of adjectives; Verbs are pivotal to good writing as they are the most powerful and underrated part of speech

…applies the English language to its fullest- much more can be said using fewer words if the writer employs a higher level vocabulary that is both intelligent and creative

…contains sentences with reason- every sentence should have a reason for being included in the piece and every reason should relate directly to the purpose