Many people believe that good writing is about having skill and an aptitude for writing. This, however, is not always the case. Although talent is an important component of being a good writer, there are a number of other factors that contribute to a great writer.
The fundamentals, of course, are always important. A writer needs to possess in-depth vocabulary knowledge. They also need to understand punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
Apart from knowledge of the basics, good writing is about preparation. Many people don’t realize that much time is spent preparing a great report, paper, or novel. The organizational stage prior to writing is actually one of the most important aspects of writing.
The planning stage of a writing project involves, firstly, understanding the task. That is, it is important to understand what is exactly being asked of you or fully comprehending the guidelines. This understanding can also include informal rules. Rather than just following instructions or standard formats, consider what is not appropriate for the piece. What is involved in one particular medium is not acceptable in another.
The planning phase also involves developing an outline. You need to consider your message. What is it that you are ultimately trying to say? The entire piece should be written with this in mind to prevent any wandering. The actual outline could be determined by the field within you are writing (e.g. business or academic). Within this structure, however, you should a write a brief summary of what you plan to say. This way, when you come to write, you will have a clear idea as to what you will be writing. This will ensure that your piece will be concise and that it will pass as good writing.
Once the planning phase is out of the way, the necessary research will take place. Once again, the type of writing will dictate the amount of research required. Most often, informal writing is not associated with significant amounts of research.
In any piece, good writing can be backed up by facts, statistics, and background knowledge. This will help build your case or support your findings. In writing that requires the author to remain objective, research is particularly important. This is primarily because you are able to support your argument, case, or findings with relevant literature. Poor writing is basing conclusions on thin air. Really bad writing is adding untruths. If your facts are incorrect in the first place, then your piece does not stand a chance at being considered ‘good’.
Depending upon the particularly writing style you are required to use, long sentences can really trip the writer up. Convoluted sentences can confuse the reader. Worse case scenario is when the reader actually takes a different message away than what was intended. Good writing means the reader will accurately understand what the writer intended.
Good writing is not just about knowing the basics, such as grammar and punctuation. It is also about organizing and adhering to certain protocols that exist within the field you are writing. These can often be formal guidelines or perhaps an informal style.