Important Elements of Good Writing

by

If there’s one thing that all writers want to be, it’s to be good writers. But what exactly makes good writing? It can be elusive and vague, because a lot of the time, we like what we read without really being able to pinpoint why. 

In this post, we hope to shed some light into what makes up good writing, so you can be sure to incorporate it into your own work. In reality, all good writing share several common qualities, and we will take a look at each one. 

What is considered good writing? 

Before we delve into the nitty-gritty details of what makes good writing, let’s take a look at the writing process in itself. Why do we write? 

We believe the following are the main functions of writing: 

  • We write to respond to something or someone. 
  • We write to communicate ideas to another person 
  • We write as an act of personal expression, revealing our personality, thoughts, opinions, etc
  • We write to influence another person to a course of action.
  • We write as a process that combines thinking, analyzing, and coming to conclusions, not just for other people but sometimes for ourselves. 

As such, we believe that good writing fulfills any one or more of the above roles. Next, we want to take a look at some specific elements of good writing. 

Five Important Elements of Good Writing 

Admittedly, good writing can probably have more than five key elements, but in this article, we hope to highlight the five most important ones. That way, you can focus on developing these. Once you do that, you’ll already find yourself among the top percentile of good writers. 

1. Focus Around Strong Ideas

Speaking of focus, it’s actually one of the most important elements of good writing. An expert writer knows how to stay within the bounds of his chosen topic, without rambling on countless rabbit trails and beating around the bush. If you’re writing an essay, focus means that you will have only one clear central idea, and each paragraph will talk about one clear main point.

But focus will be meaningless if your core idea is weak. That’s why we believe it’s essential that you pair focus with a strong core idea, something that will engage your readers’ attention. From there, make sure that the themes or sub-ideas you develop in your body paragraphs are just as important and attractive to your audience. 

2. Logical Organization and Coherence 

You know something is well written when the ideas progress clearly and in a logical manner. That means that the next paragraph builds up on the previous one, and each of them is related to the main idea. 

This is one reason why it’s important to create an outline before you start writing, whether it’s an essay, a journalistic piece, a short story, or a novel. Of course, some people might prefer to write spontaneously, but usually, they would already have the bare bones outline in their head, or else it might end up all over the place. 

In addition to a logical way of progressing, good writing also features coherence, which means that all the paragraphs are interconnected and flow smoothly together. 

3. Clear Voice and Style 

Another tell-tale sign of good writing is when the author writes in his own individual voice and style—and sticks to it consistently throughout the piece. Nothing is more confusing than a journalistic piece that starts off upbeat and casual and later suddenly turns morose and formal. 

An expert writer knows how to write in his own voice, as well as in other people’s voices, without mixing up the two. For example, ghostwriters can interview their clients, incorporate their clients’ personality, and write a piece that feels as though that client himself wrote every word. 

4. Accurate and Evocative Word Choice 

Some words carry more meaning than others, and it’s up to you as the writer to pick the best ones to use in your writing. For example, which of the two sentences evoke greater emotion in you: 

  • The little girl ate up the last piece of pie; she probably hadn’t eaten in days.
  • The little girl gobbled up the last piece of pie in one overflowing mouthful; we wondered when her last meal had been. 

5. Clear and Readable Sentences

Some people think that the key to good writing is to use superfluous words that make them look intelligent—wait, what words? 

That’s the point: good writing doesn’t rely on using complicated terms, and instead, the sentences should be easily readable and understandable. This means the words aren’t the most dififcult synonyms on the thesaurus, and they aren’t some unnecessary length. 

Remember, the goal of writing is to communicate your ideas to another person. And you can’t do that unless you write in clear, readable sentences. Unless you’re Dickens or St. Paul writing his epistles in the Bible, you probably won’t get away with sentences that are five miles long!

What makes a good writer? 

The elements above can make up good writing. But a good writer is more than just the words he puts onto the page. We believe that a person who wants to be a good writer has to have a strong commitment to the truth, and to the process of communicating clearly with his readers.

The more you write, the stronger your own individual voice will be, and the clearer your personality shines through in the things you write. And the more you write, the more willing you should be to rewrite and rephrase until you have your ideas clearly written down on paper for another person to read and be influenced by. 

Practicing Good Writing

If you want to be a good writer, you need to keep improving. Remember these tips and check which ones you have the most struggle with. Go through your work and weed through unnecessary words and excessively lengthy sentences and try to rewrite them. 

Also commit to learn more about the craft of writing, such as by discovering and learning to use different literary devices and writing structures. We wish you good luck in your writing endeavors! 

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like: