What distinguishes effective writing from writing that somehow misses the mark? What about our writing invites readers into our message and keeps them reading to the end? Based on my years as a writing instructor, writer, and reader, here are what I have found to be some of the qualities of good writing.
1. Surprise
Good writing surprises the reader. Good writers choose unusual topics to write about. Or they combine or juxtapose concepts in unanticipatable ways. Or they create startling transitions from one subject, or one scene, or one setting to the next. Good writers offer readers the unexpected. They allow readers to view commonly treated subjects in new ways.
2. Fresh Language
Good writers avoid overly familiar language: routinely used phrases, clichés, worn-out metaphors, tired imagery. They strive to put words together in original ways, to de-familiarize the familiar through language, to create metaphors and imagery that compel readers to pause and visualize. They say new things, or they say often-expressed things in ways that re-awaken readers.
3. Clarity
Effective writers think about their readers. They consider how their message will be received. They read and re-read, edit and re-edit their writing to ensure that the meaning they intend is the meaning that the reader derives. They provide essential details and include needed context. They use exactly the right words to convey the message they intend for readers to receive.
4. Tension
Good writers recognize that life is complicated by conflict, contradiction, ambiguity, and uncertainty. They do not shy away from these complications. Rather, they weave tensions into their texts, allowing their readers to walk a tightrope between conflicting ideas. They recognize that a good piece of writing is held together by the pull of tensions.
5. Challenge
Good writers challenge their readers to think. They invite readers to consider difficult subjects. They call upon them to examine their own assumptions, biases, motives, desires, and impulses. They make readers uncomfortable. They ask them to change, to adopt a new perspective, to see themselves in a new way, or to act. They make readers aware of ideas, problems, or injustices that they may have been avoiding. They bring troublesome truths to light.
Derived from my years of reading the work of great writers, studying and teaching writing, and trying to be the best writer I can be, these are some of the qualities of good writing that I have discovered.
What have I missed? What distinguishes good writing for you?
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