What is Good Writing?
On her blog, Vero recently asked "what is good writing?" Then she continued a slight rant on the notion that "deserving" or "good" writing is often defined by how many copies of the book has sold and the reviews it garners. In many ways I agree with her, and in others it didn't occur to me to equivocate good writing to its publication status. Perhaps I've simply read too much fanfiction and listened to too much NPR to consider good writing limited to what might be found in a bookstore.
The nature of whether writing is classified as "good" or "not good" depends on what I'm seeking in the writing. Am I seeking mindless entertainment? "Confessions of a Shopoholic," is a fluffy story with flat characters and lots of entertainment through impulses I can relate to. Am I seeking better understanding of the usage of an Old Testament word? "Wilson's Old Testament Word Dictionary," is, well, a dictionary - dry, boring, but through in providing information. My more typical definition of "good writing" is somewhere within that range.
Though the one thing that can classify even the most entertaining of stories or the best information is terrible writing or terrible editing: overly verbose (a fault of my own, with a bit of added irony as I type this parenthetical), poor grammar, or a lack of interesting words. (Why use "red" when you can use crimson, ruby, rust, or burgundy and provide so much more detail?)
I think what makes excellent writing is good writing that makes me think or reflects ideas that I haven't determined how to express myself. My latest "find" for this would be "The Way We Live Now" by Colson Whitehead. Its a good short story (or essay) describing how that even though my favorite place to grab a slice of pizza is gone, it will always be there in my heart. Well, that's what it meant to me. It's reflective, concise, and descriptive all at the same time.
Another source of excellent writing I love is pretty much any personal essay by Marion Winik. Her favorite essay is called, A Dead Cat, a Court Date and Parenthood." which pretty much sums up exactly what I imagine what motherhood is often like.
I guess I can also add that excellent writing also inspires me to write. It makes me think that just maybe, with enough practice, I too might be able to express myself so beautifully.
What do you think makes good writing good?
5 comments:
I consider something well-written if the writing doesn't distract or detract from the content. I mean this mostly with fiction - if I am distracted from the story by vocab choice or sentence construction or stupid overgeneralizations...not good. If I get through something cleanly smoothly peacefully, enjoying the story and thinking mostly OF the story, THAT is good writing. Good writing doesn't make itself the focus.
For me, it's voice. And a minimum of grammatical errors (which distract me).
=)
For me it is easier to define or recognize bad writing. If the content/story is entertaining enough I can ignore poor conventions. I can push through a boring story because the author's voice and sentence fluency promise so much more. When I read good writing I never notice the details it is seamless but bad writing I notice every detail of what went wrong.
that's a good question.
I'd say good writing has a distinct flavor that one enjoys. So one person can like a certain writing style and another can hate it, and it's good writing for the person who likes it.
Grammar is a given--any experienced writer knows his or her grammar.
I'd say the ability to refine images so that the reader isn't confused, reading them, and can see the scene without having to pause and stumble over the words the reader has used.
I'd say the ability to produce dialogue that flows and has distinct voices is one of the heights of good writing.
Let's see--perhaps good writing is simply writing that has been refined and refined and refined, either through a great deal of practice or many many drafts, so that weaknesses are made strong and mistakes, even the tiniest ones that could cause a hitch for the reader, are smoothed out. A good piece tends to flow and leave you with a "whole" feeling when you're done reading.
Of course all of this is my own opinion, therefore it's still just good writing for me. Someone else may have a completely different set of priorities and preferences.
BTW I love parentheticals. Especially in blogging. I think they can be hilarious and fun... so for me, parentheticals are awesome and good writing, depending on the circumstance.
OMG I just found this. LOVE it.
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