Initially, if you have satisfied yourself. Secondarily, if you have satisfied, entertained or englightened a reader. And there is the difference, too, between a good writer and a great writer because great writers belong to the ages and their themes always have meaning.
I don't think that there is such a thing as a "good writer." Stephen King says, "The corollary is that no writer will take all of his or her editor's advice; for all sinned and fallen short of editorial perfection. Put another way, to write is human, to edit is divine."
Each writer has his or her own writing style - good or bad. Some writings may piss people off and some writings may inspire others.
Whether, we produce a "reaction from our readers," then we did our jobs as writers - good or bad.
A "good writer" can stand for so many things. One being: a good well-written writer, a good well-provided informative writer, a good storyteller, a good humorous writer and some may be a great "grammatical writer," but produce horrible storytelling fiction.
I am a non-fiction writer. That is who I am - not good or bad, but just an average writer fulfilling my dreams - at least trying to :)
I think the interpretation of good writer depends to a degree on the purpose of the writing - good writing for a text book isn't the same as good writing for owner's manual for a digital camera - and certainly very different from writing a romance novel. The end goals are different - I think a good writer strives to meet the audience's expectation(s).
I consider myself a good writer at a few different levels and an average writer learning to be good at others.
To whit: I spent '06 learning the basics of my craft. While it impressed friends and family, it didn't really impress others.
'07 brought me to the phenomenon known as chat rooms, where I really sharpened my writing skills. Almost like a good training ground for the next phase of writing: blogging.
'08 brought me here, where over the course of the past six months or so, I've been able to pick up tips and further refine my writing skills to the point where people will actually stop by and do extended visits, and leave the occasional comment as well.
I enjoy doing this particularly strange craft called writing, and I hope to continue grow and expand my skills so that I can become a better writer.
There is not one criteria for being a good writer but there are a few things that matter.
1) Does the writer clearly state his or her message? 2) Has careful thought gone into style and word choice? 3) I like a writer who really takes you into the experience they are describing. A lot of this may mean good use of sensory detail. 4) Is the writing coherent and concise without leaving out key issues? 5) Is the writing compelling? If the theme is old, has the writer brought new perspective to it?
A reader replies, you are a good writer if your thoughts are somehow presented to the paper with extraordinary care through the use of words crafted into sentences, placed just so. Whether for money or not, have you brought out my emotions? The world is full of writers. If you do not bore me, you are a good writer. (You are a good writer!)
A journalist should be factual, obvious if pushing a point of view but at least reflective of alternative views and pithy enough to get the point across quickly.
A novelist - needs to draw the reader in make them believe in the story and the characters make them care about something that is in the plot and make them want to continue on the journey ...
I agree with the many levels idea of good writing. There are those who can write a great sentence but not tell a story. A good writer, to me, combines strong story telling skills, which is what keeps readers reading, with good word choice so that the reader "sees, hears, smells" what the writer intends them to
When my muse first published an article I wrote, then encouraged me to start my blog. Several months later he told me it was "must reading" and "I had gotten my writing chops back".
I was over the moon. May I add he is one handsome guy as well as a Muse? LOL.
I suppose that a good writer can help the reader smell the smells, see the colors, feel the feelings, and speak to the heart and mind of his/her subject matter.
15 comments:
Initially, if you have satisfied yourself. Secondarily, if you have satisfied, entertained or englightened a reader. And there is the difference, too, between a good writer and a great writer because great writers belong to the ages and their themes always have meaning.
I don't think that there is such a thing as a "good writer." Stephen King says, "The corollary is that no writer will take all of his or her editor's advice; for all sinned and fallen short of editorial perfection. Put another way, to write is human, to edit is divine."
Each writer has his or her own writing style - good or bad. Some writings may piss people off and some writings may inspire others.
Whether, we produce a "reaction from our readers," then we did our jobs as writers - good or bad.
A "good writer" can stand for so many things. One being: a good well-written writer, a good well-provided informative writer, a good storyteller, a good humorous writer and some may be a great "grammatical writer," but produce horrible storytelling fiction.
I am a non-fiction writer. That is who I am - not good or bad, but just an average writer fulfilling my dreams - at least trying to :)
I think the interpretation of good writer depends to a degree on the purpose of the writing - good writing for a text book isn't the same as good writing for owner's manual for a digital camera - and certainly very different from writing a romance novel. The end goals are different - I think a good writer strives to meet the audience's expectation(s).
I consider myself a good writer at a few different levels and an average writer learning to be good at others.
To whit: I spent '06 learning the basics of my craft. While it impressed friends and family, it didn't really impress others.
'07 brought me to the phenomenon known as chat rooms, where I really sharpened my writing skills. Almost like a good training ground for the next phase of writing: blogging.
'08 brought me here, where over the course of the past six months or so, I've been able to pick up tips and further refine my writing skills to the point where people will actually stop by and do extended visits, and leave the occasional comment as well.
I enjoy doing this particularly strange craft called writing, and I hope to continue grow and expand my skills so that I can become a better writer.
There is not one criteria for being a good writer but there are a few things that matter.
1) Does the writer clearly state his or her message?
2) Has careful thought gone into style and word choice?
3) I like a writer who really takes you into the experience they are describing. A lot of this may mean good use of sensory detail.
4) Is the writing coherent and concise without leaving out key issues?
5) Is the writing compelling? If the theme is old, has the writer brought new perspective to it?
*These are just some ideas...
A reader replies, you are a good writer if your thoughts are somehow presented to the paper with extraordinary care through the use of words crafted into sentences, placed just so. Whether for money or not, have you brought out my emotions?
The world is full of writers. If you do not bore me, you are a good writer.
(You are a good writer!)
Depends what you are writing...
A journalist should be factual, obvious if pushing a point of view but at least reflective of alternative views and pithy enough to get the point across quickly.
A novelist - needs to draw the reader in make them believe in the story and the characters make them care about something that is in the plot and make them want to continue on the journey ...
A good writer entices the reader from opening paragraph through to the last, leaving the reader wishing for more.
I agree with the many levels idea of good writing. There are those who can write a great sentence but not tell a story. A good writer, to me, combines strong story telling skills, which is what keeps readers reading, with good word choice so that the reader "sees, hears, smells" what the writer intends them to
To me, being a good writer just means getting your thoughts out on paper in an interesting way.
Good writers have good readers.
When my muse first published an article I wrote, then encouraged me to start my blog. Several months later he told me it was "must reading" and "I had gotten my writing chops back".
I was over the moon. May I add he is one handsome guy as well as a Muse? LOL.
I'm not sure of the definition but I know a good author when I read their work. Examples: Hemingway, Poe, Christie, and King.
I suppose that a good writer can help the reader smell the smells, see the colors, feel the feelings, and speak to the heart and mind of his/her subject matter.
Having Passion for what you do and what you write about
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