What Makes Good Writing?

(Good question…)

Good Writing…

• Often is in the eye of the beholder (or teacher)

• Depends upon the intended audience– Letter to Mom vs. letter to the President– Mr. King vs. a friend

• Varies with the mode of writing in question– Short story vs. epic poetry– Persuasive essay vs. research report

In short: There are as many definitions of “good” writing as there are forms of writing

Frustrating, huh?

• Fortunately, there are some common general characteristics that all good writing shares.

• At LCHS, our method of articulating these characteristics draws from Ruth Culham’s 6+1 Writing Traits.

• Good writing almost always will be excellent in most – if not all – of these areas.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One

• The traits (in order of relevance):– Ideas– Organization– Voice– Sentence Fluency– Word Choice– Conventions– Presentation

• Conventions-mandated second bullet point (English humor)

Ideas

• The focal point of writing – why read if the work has nothing to say?

• Not necessarily something earth-shatteringly original (though originality is good)

• Consistency of ideas also important – everything said should contribute to the overarching idea or theme of the work

Organization

• Content should “flow” in a logical manner

• Structured conversation, not rambling

• Manner of organization should contribute to the overall aim of the work

What the Heck is “Flow,” Anyway?

• English types like metaphors, and writing terms are no exception

• In basic terms, flow is a logical, sequential progression of ideas (i.e. getting from point A to point B smoothly)

• Writing that flows well doesn’t have to sound pretty, but it can.

Voice

• Writing style• Distinguishes YOUR

writing from everyone else’s

• Bland, third-person detached writing lacks a solid voice

• Example:– “When one must write an essay for College

English, one must always take care to use appropriate punctuation and spelling.”

– “Essays should give you an idea of what’s important to you, and that importance should be reflected in the attention given to mechanics.”

Sentence Fluency

• Sentences are complex and demonstrate high aptitude for the English language

• Easy to read, sound natural

• That dreaded “flow” again

Word Choice

• A variety of words are used

• Words are appropriate to the context of the work

• Challenging words based on writer’s level of ability

• Words “move” the reader based on the authorial purpose (i.e. forceful words in a persuasive essay, etc.)

Conventions

• Writing follows proper conventions of language

• Spelling• Grammar• Punctuation• Appropriateness of

conventions depends on audience and authorial purpose

Presentation

• Make it look GOOD!

• Follow formatting guidelines of publication or instructor

• Looks aren’t everything, but they are important

Any Questions?