Shannon Philpott-Sanders

What is Good Writing?

Every semester, it never fails, that a student asks me what constitutes good writing. I welcome this question although it is difficult to answer. The truth is that good writing is subjective and what I may deem as a good piece, someone else may not.

However, I’m going to attempt to answer this question with a list of possibilities – a realm of traits that have led me to rave about and cherish a piece of writing.

Good writing … makes sense. It allows your readers to understand your ideas, argument or main point without having to guess the who, what, when, where, why and how (5 Ws and H).

Good writing … makes you feel something, whether it is anger, sadness, eternal happiness or doubt.

Good writing … takes the reader there. In other words, it is full of vivid descriptions and relevant examples that allow the reader to visualize the story in his or her mind.

Good writing … prompts the reader to think critically and reflect upon his or her own connection to the author’s ideas and experiences.

Good writing … has a punch and engages the reader. In other words, it doesn’t make you want to go to sleep, bang your head on the wall or tear it into pieces out of sheer boredom.

One important note: Not once did I mention grammar and punctuation. While solid grammar and punctuation use is necessary to produce a cohesive paragraph, much less sentence, the emphasis I place on good writing is more content-related. The content is primary, while fixable editing errors are secondary.

Also note that what I deem as solid characteristics of good writing, changes ever-so-often as I’m exposed to new genres, bold styles of writing and creative authors (and students).  The quest for better writing is an exciting challenge, in my opinion.

My list is complete … for now. What does your list look like?

– Shannon Philpott
Blog Entry: Jan. 15, 2010

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January 15, 2010 - Posted by sphilpott | Blog, Teaching, Writing | college writing, good writing, what is good writing, Writing, writing an essay, writing exercises