Introduction
Good writing has been given various definitions by different people. Every individual understands the meaning of good writing in their unique ways and thus it has come to be an issue of controversy as to what good writing is. In my opinion, good writing is creative writing that directly responds to the reader’s interests, has captivating ideas, and begs the reader’s attention to continue reading. Good writing is subjective and depends on the writer and the reader. Writing is like an art. If the writer thinks it is good, it can be good writing, and if the reader thinks it is good it also can be good writing.
Ideas are the main part of writing and constitute the main reason for wanting to write in the first place
According to Allen, good writing must have its ideas effectively organized and communicated to flow from one idea to the next one. Ideas are the main part of writing and constitute the main reason for wanting to write in the first place. Mostly, good writing is composed of the main idea which is the thesis statement and a whole lot of intriguing details that make the writing good. The main idea in writing must be of importance to the writer and audience and also be a sentence that can stand on its own.
These ideas and details must be organized in such a way that the writer has the beginning and the end. The author further asserts that a writer must come up with an introduction that stimulates the reader’s mind in a captivating manner. Also, the ideas must be arranged in a way that each leads to the other in a smooth and flowing mode. Finally, the conclusion must satisfactorily feel finished to the readers and should leave them with food for thought (Allen 40).
Good writing must have parts that are easy to follow; that is, they should use transitional phrases such as next, finally, then and so forth
Just like any other task, writing is a process that requires preparation. Before a writer sits to put down the ideas, they must gather and organize those ideas by thinking and researching. The writer should then compare his or her opinions with those of others from the research. They also ought to plan, write, and finally proofread to ensure that their work has no errors whatsoever. Therefore, one must start by thinking of what they want to write about, whom they are writing for, and the kind of document they want to write (McClure 226).
Before a writer sits to put down their ideas, they must gather and organize those ideas by thinking and researching
It is widely agreed upon that good writing should always be paraphrased, summarized, or quoted if taken from a particular source that should be credited. Universal understanding is also essential in good writing. The writers should be simple and clear in what they are conveying. Thus, complex words should be avoided and instead common English language that is understood by all should be used. Any writing that does not stick to all these points is considered to be bad (Allen 38).
Thinking and research precede writing; therefore, good writing depends upon one’s quality of research and critical thinking
As McClure puts it, thinking and research precede writing. Therefore, good writing depends on one’s quality of research and critical thinking. Ideas are developed in the mind and once one has given a clear thought of what they are going to write about and the intended audience, then one is ready to start. In the author’s view, it is essential to jot down ideas that come across one’s mind and also the main points from a source so as not to forget.
This will enable the writer to gather and organize the main ideas and draft them easily later. Critical thinking is vital during research as it helps one to differentiate between valuable and useful information for one’s writing from that which is not useful. It is also crucial because by thinking critically one can avoid trusting every information from a source as some facts stated in the source might be untrue (McClure 226-227).
However, the methods of finding and evaluating information keep changing from time to time. Most studies, for instance, have indicated that most researchers use the internet to do their research. Nevertheless, one should be cautious as information from some websites such as Wikipedia is not considered reliable. In as much as such websites are not advocated for research purposes, they are very important in doing preliminary research and seeking information. There are some reasons why these sites are not approved for academic research, and one of the reasons is that they lack accuracy and accountability. The information posted on these sites can be removed or altered at any time thus resulting in their unreliability (McClure 224).
After editing, one should proofread their work to weed out any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and the correct choice of words
Allen then advises that thorough research and clear thinking should be followed by the drafting process where one puts all the collected information into the paper. During the drafting stage, one should not be worried about many details as long as one’s writing follows the plan. Once one is finished with the draft, the next step is to reread and edit the draft to see if there are any errors. The best way to do this is to give someone to read and correct mistakes. After editing, one should proofread their work to weed out any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and the correct choice of words. This can be done by oneself, but for it to be effective someone else who has not read the draft can be found to proofread the work (Allen 41-42).
Conclusion
In conclusion, a writer must always know the purpose of writing, putting the intended readers in mind. This will aid the author in writing a good piece of work thus making it enjoyable to read most especially and not limited to the targeted audience. Lastly, reading is the best way to determine great writing and a writer can determine if their work is good or poor.
Works Cited
Allen, Sarah. “The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemlianksy. South Carolina: Parlor Press, 2010. 34-44. Print.
McClure, Randall. “Googlepedia: Turning Information Behaviors into Research Skills.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemlianksy. South Carolina: Parlor Press, 2010. 221-241. Print.