What is good writing? We started the term with this question about what makes writing good. Now, you are tasked with further developing an answer for this question. Your task here is to make an argument for what constitutes good writing. You may use anything we learned in this class as well as any outside information you choose. There is no length requirement for this assignment. Deliver a compelling argument about good writing.
*Caution: This assignment is NOT place for you to regurgitate terminology we learned this term to fancifully show your ability to retain vocabulary. Rather, this calls you to make a compelling argument about what makes writing good.
Good writing is relative to the situation. Persuasive writing is very different from informative writing. “Good writing” implies that the writing is pleasing someone. Sometimes the writing is meant to please an entire audience, other times it is meant to please only one other person. For me to define good writing I have to consider what pleases me. When I am the audience, I consider writing good if it brings me in. If I relate to the piece, if I can place myself there, if I can see, or feel, or imagine the emotion of the piece, then I label the writing as good. As a writer, I consider the writing good in two ways: the first way is if my writing is meant to please an instructor. If my writing meets the requirements to the satisfaction of my instructor and I receive a good grade, I label my writing as good. The second way is if my writing is only for me. There are many things that make my own writing good to me. I like detail in writing. I enjoy a well thought out description of an event or person. I want to touch as many senses as possible with the words on the page. If I can write and somehow use my words to make a reader feel emotional in some way, then I consider my writing good.
ReplyDeleteI think this is not that different than my original post on good writing. I remember choosing an excerpt from The Great Gatsby. I remember the passage stuck with me as something I liked because when I read it, I could feel what it was like to be a character in that scene. It caused a memory for me. It stayed with me. I still think about that book. It can not be because of the characters or the plot, because those things are not real. So, it must be because the writing was good. It stayed with me. That’s good writing.
Whitney Barnes
ReplyDeleteMy definition of good writing has transformed as this class has progressed. Good writing is a piece of literature that is enjoyable to read and reread and, with every new glance at the writing the reader gathers a new or deeper meaning. There are a few notable works that I will never get tired of reading not because of the complex sentence structure, wide range of vocabulary, and beautifully written metaphors but because, they incorporate themselves into the writing. This class has given me confidence when it comes to adding ‘me’ into my writing. Whenever, I am given the opportunity to personalize the assignment at hand I do. The presence of myself in my writing makes somewhat daunting tasks more manageable for me to write and pleasurable for readers to read. Good writing does not have to have all the bells and whistles and ducks in a row to be ‘good’. I have learned to focus more on the content then grammar, this was a hard habit to break considering that most of my educational career I have been taught to point out the lack of comma usage, past and present tenses, and teachers have stressed the ability to find a concise thesis. Good writing does not force a writer to completely change their overall tone but to alter their stance based on the writing scenario at hand. Good writing to me is unpredictable it does not always begin with a quote, an in detail explanation of one’s surroundings or, an extensive hyperbole. Good writing takes you to a place you did not expect to go it carries you through a story and then, gives the reader the chance to formulate his or her own ending.
Good writing is writing that is descriptive, meaningful and moving. Writing that I consider good flows effortlessly when reading. When writing flows and conveys the message to the reader, the writing is most effective. Good writing should also be descriptive. Writing that can evoke your senses and put you in the scenario the writer is attempting to portray is much more powerful than writing that simply explains what is happening. Showing what is happening rather than telling makes a writing more entertaining. It brings the reader into the writers mind, allowing the reader to more personally invest in a work of writing. Good writing should be enjoyable to write and to read due to the fact that you invest yourself in good writing. I do think that good writing needs the fundamentals of writing, such as grammar, punctuation, etc. Though I don't think that writing comes out good when the writer feels and stays so stiff within the constructs of writing students often grow up with. If I can read something with ease and clarity, find myself personally invested, find myself painting images of the scenes I am reading, and am genuinely entertained, I consider that good writing.
ReplyDeleteAndre Diouf
ReplyDeleteGood writing answers the readers’ questions before they ask it. It gets the message across to the audience every time. The writer constantly thinks about what the reader wants answered and he answers it in the writing. Good writing is very clear. It makes perfect sense to the reader. It teaches and shows the reader the point of the writing throughout the piece. Good writing has good structure. All the paragraphs support the topic of the paper and at the end it all connects together to make the same point. It takes years to master all the good writing skills. You should not make your writing complicated, it should be written well and easy to understand. Good writing also possess joy to the eye. When I am reading something, I want it to attract me and bring me in, not make me fall asleep. Good writing should be very interesting and not dull. In my eyes, those points are good writing.
I believe that there are many different things that can make something good writing. First, I have always believed that good writing is something that someone enjoys reading. Not only is it interesting for them to read it once, but also good writing should captivate you and pull you in even after the fifth time you’ve read it. I like the kind of writing where you notice something different about it every time and take away new things from it. Of course good writing should have correct grammar and sentence structure, but that isn’t the most important part of it. The content of it and the meaning of the message it is trying to convey is what I think is the most important part. Good vocabulary can add something to a paper but description is key. The way in which the writer describes things and tries to put imagery in the reader’s head is something I find extremely important to good writing. The cliché line of showing instead of telling is a detrimental part of good writing. Good writing should not be complicated at all but should be easy to understand by the reader. Throughout this class my opinion on what I think good writing is has change a lot. I use to think that good writing was just something that was interesting to read but I have learned that is not the case. Any type of writing that successfully fulfills its purpose is good writing in my eyes. There are all different types of good writing in the world and everyone has a different opinion on what they believe good writing is.
ReplyDeleteI believe that good writing is interesting. While grammar is important, none of it matters if someone doesn't find it interesting. No one will remember the article that had great grammar but put the reader to sleep. I'm not saying I believe people should ignore the grammar rules and just write what they think, but I am saying that writers should focus on content.
ReplyDeleteThis class has taught me to use more descriptive detail. Detail makes a story more interesting. "Bob walked in the room" is short and simple and gets the point across. "Bob boisterously barged into the room, hurling the door wide open and banging it against the wall" is much more descriptive and interesting. It provides detail and makes the reader feel as if he were actually in the room that Bob was plowing into.
Grammar is a very important part of writing, but it should never be considered more important than interesting writing. All that really matters is if the author can keep his audience entertained and engaged.
If there is one thing that I learned from the course of this class, it is that there are no limitations to writing. All the rules we were taught in our adolescent years, such as the idea that an essay needs to have a five paragraph format, no longer applies because those rules have only come to hinder the true potential we have to write higher leveled writing. There is no definite answer for what good writing is but from doing peer reviews and reading others’ different approaches to writing I have learned multiple aspects of what good writing consists of. Good writing contains organization; you have to be able to keep all the ideas you’re trying to get across in some fashionable order to give your reader the opportunity to follow your main idea or theme more easily. In this sense, having lack of organization in a paper will only result in confusion by your readers and your thoughts and ideas may be lost in the jumble of words on the paper. Good writing to me should also have a touch of personal input/points because it can make the writing more relatable and easier for your readers to associate themselves with the point you are trying to get across. This also makes writing more effortless because when you write with personalization, the words seem to flow out and everything becomes more fluent. All in all, good writing should definitely be enjoyable; write about something you are passionate about, something you loathe, something that inspires you or others. Share your thoughts, ideas or concerns; show people what you are capable of through the power of words. Like I said, limitations don’t exist in the world of writing. As long as you get your point across and have a clear theme or idea portrayed and your readers successfully receive your message, I would consider that pretty good writing.
ReplyDeleteGood writing is a personal definition as in that it differs from one person to the next. I believe good writing is writing that can convey any kind of emotion from the text to the reader. If the reader believes that anything that the writer is saying is happening or is true, then they are on to something. The good thing about my definition is that everyone can and will be good writers. It doesn't matter if you are in 2nd grade or a graduate student, everyone is a good writer just some people developed their skills earlier that others. I honestly think some people have an off day or they are not truly trying. Trust me, I'm guilty of it too but all those off days do not describe how good of a writer you are because we are all good writers. All we need is that story to get us going and that story is... life.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Parker
ReplyDeleteMy ideas about what good writing is has developed greatly over the course of this semester. Good writing will include detail that makes whatever the subject is seem vivid, making it easier for the reader to relate to. The more depth to the detail the more engrossed the reader will be as it appeals to the reader's senses. Another aspect of good writing is a strong overall theme. Without a central theme ideas will be strewn across the pages, adding content, but lacking a point to the writing making it more difficult for the reader to follow. Without grasping the interest of the reader, the writing will most likely falter. Good writing also has a smooth flow along with the basics of writing (grammar, punctuation) making it easy for the reader to follow. All of these aspects help me as a reader to get interested in the writing. These are what make good writing to me.
Good writing is all about getting your point or idea across to your reader. There are no set rules in doing this. There are no specific constructs that make writing good. You don't need a five paragraph essay or a cheesy intro or even the best grammar. Whatever you can do to keep the reader engaged enough to get your idea or point across clearly defines good writing. Sometimes that means writing long, descriptive sentences and sometimes it means writing a short, 'to the point' sentence. If the writer is able to convey their message to their reader, they have shown good writing.
ReplyDeleteFrom everything that I have learned from this class I have come to the conclusion that ‘good writing’ is not and should not be limited to one definition or example. Every situation is different and calls for a different genre of writing whether it’s expository, persuasive or narrative. Each genre of writing also has different parameters that make the work stand out from the rest. For example, mystery books should be suspenseful and have the reader wondering, whereas a fantasy books should transport the reader to another different and strange world. Even though each situation calls for a different style of writing, they all share similar characteristics that make writing good. This class has helped me to better understand that any writing should be descriptive so that the writer is showing rather than telling the reader. Good writing should also make a point or have an overall idea that is trying to be made, because even the most grammatically correct writing is boring if nothing of importance is being said. Finally, good writing needs to be able to keep the reader interested instead of bored and at the point of falling asleep. Although these factors may seem to only apply to fiction writings, they can also apply to academic writings like scholarly journals or even professional writing like screen plays.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the semester I wrote about an excerpt from the script for Schindler’s List. After everything that I have learned I still believe that what I previously chose is still good writing. The script is very descriptive, has an overall point, and personally I find it can hold my attention.
Throughout this class, we have learned different ways that makes different writing come as powerful and meaningful to the audience. Different writing styles, calls for different approaches on writing. There is no blueprint to good writing and the audience dictates what is good writing. Good writing is something that gets a message across while connecting to the audience in a way that they can understand. Good writing has to be able to convey a message that everyone will remember after reading the writing. If the audience doesn't remember the writing that means that the writing was not strong enough and meaningful to the audience. The writing has to be interesting and have a style that the audience is able to connect with. If you are able to produce something that conveys a good message and connects with the audience in a way that they can remember, I believe that is good writing.
ReplyDeleteI think that my views on good writing have only changed slightly. Almost all writing is written to persuade someone, even if it is something very simple. Writers persuade someone to think like them and view a situation like they are viewing it. Good writing is writing that you read and you are able to see, hear, and feel the things that are going on around you. You can taste the food being described, or feel what a character is feeling. Good writing is about more than just grammar and using big words. Good writing is persuasive and emotional, powerful and descriptive. I think the passage I chose from the book Looking for Alaska in the beginning of the semester embodies all of these things and should be considered very good writing.
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