Have you ever read through a book or an article that just made you cringe, or want to stop reading right away—and not because of its content, but because the writing was just awful?
Many an editor has had to slog through hundreds of pages of manuscripts—if they even read that long!—that they will have to reject because of poor writing. Hopefully, you can be just as sensitive at spotting problems in your own writing so we avoid the pitfalls.
What is bad writing?
Bad writing can range from boring and weak writing on one end, all the way to confusing and going off on unnecessary tangents on the other. It also includes all forms of grammatical errors and laziness on the part of the writer. While it’s not easy to sum up what makes up bad writing, in this post, we hope to show you some of the most common signs so you can find them in your own writing.
8 Tell-Tale Signs of Bad Writing
Writing is an art and a science. Sometimes, writers use that as an excuse to write the way they do: that’s just how they feel like writing, so who’s to say they’re wrong? The truth it, bad writing typically shows one or more of the following features:
1. Lack of clarity
Bad writing tends to talk a lot, but without getting anywhere. This is why a bad piece of writing work is usually boring and confusing to read. You might find yourself rereading a sentence or a paragraph because you couldn’t make sense of it.
2. Pompous verbosity
Did you understand that? Neither can we understand much of bad writing! One common flaw of amateur writers is that they try to use difficult, flowery words, in the hopes of sounding smart. Instead, they end up becoming too wordy and complicated without getting anywhere near to communicating with their audience.
If you’re fond of using high falluting words, that may be a warning bell. You can get around this by making a habit of choosing simpler synonyms. Better yet, run through your first draft at least one more time to see if you can simplify some of the terms you have used. Remember, the goal of writing is to communicate with your reader, so make sure your reader can understand you by using language that’s as simple as possible.
3. Wrong choice of words
A clear giveaway of a poor writer is when you choose the wrong word to use. This can be a common mistake for English homophones. For example, one pet peeve I have is when writers put “The cat chased it’s tail” instead of “The cat chased its tail,” or “Your lazy” instead of “You’re lazy.”
Other times, a writer might use words that mean almost the same thing, but not exactly, and instead give themselves away as not a native English speaker. For example, calling a park bench a chair, or not knowing the difference between a mug, a cup, or a drinking glass—the difference may be minute, but it can make or break a piece of writing.
4. Overuse of clichés
Metaphors make writing come alive in the readers’ imagination, but when they are used too often, they can become clichéd. Besides, re-using other people’s metaphors shows that you are lazy to think up of your own. Clichés can ruin good writing as one rotten apple can spoil a barrelful. (See what I mean?)
5. Incoherence
Another sign of bad writing is when the piece has awkward or obviously forced transitions. This can be caused by the writer himself not being clear from the get-go about where he’s going. Or it can be a paragraph or thought that’s left hanging or not explained well. Remember, your reader can’t read your mind, so you need to make sure you explicitly say what you mean to say.
6. Lots of filler words or padding
Amateur writers not only make mistakes choosing words, they may also make the error of adding too many unnecessary words. We call these words fillers or padding. For example, you might find yourself using the words “simply” and “interestingly” too often. One tactic is to try to strike off some of the words in your text: if the meaning remains the same, the word is redundant; get rid of it.
7. Use of weak words
Another way that a writer can fall into weak writing is by using weak words. These are words that can be expressed more clearly by using more descriptive alternatives.
For example, instead of saying that he “ran fast,” you might use a stronger verb, such as “sprinted” or “galloped.” Instead of saying she “walked away,” you might use a more descriptive verb, such as “traipsed,” “ambled away,” “skipped off,” or “sauntered.” This way, you create a clearer picture in your reader’s mind.
8. Lack of impact on the reader
Last but not the least, we believe that another important sign of bad writing is that it does not impact your reader in any way. Now, this is a bit more difficult to gauge, because you won’t be able to do it until you actually get someone else to read your work.
Hear me out. Granted, writing is not all about the reader, but at its very essence, we write because we want to communicate an idea. If we try to get our idea across without making any sort of impression on our audience, did we succeed? I dare say we have not. Truly great writing is one that sticks with the readers, and if possible, even drive them to action.
So why would any piece of writing not have any effect on another person? Possibly, it’s because it’s unrelatable. If you think about some of the novels that you count among your favorites, chances are, you could relate to the characters and feel what they felt.
This is an important key for writing memorable pieces: find a way to bring the reader into what you want them to experience. It could be by sharing your deepest heart and thoughts. It could be by describing a situation using all the senses. The most common writing adage “show, don’t tell” has ultimate wisdom: when you show, you invite your reader to respond to what you’re showing instead of telling them how they should feel.
Bad Writing Can Turn Readers Off
Bad writing may not only be due to grammatical or spelling errors; sometimes, it can also be about how dragging it is to read. Knowing how to craft sentences that smoothly lead onto one another and keep your readers engaged is indeed a skill.
We don’t want to turn our readers off, so it’s important to find out when we run into snags that cause us to write in a weak, boring, or confusing way. We hope this post helps you identify the problems with your writing so that you can make it more engaging. If this is your issue, we encourage you to learn more about the writing craft itself.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 6 Best Tips on How to Write a Cliffhanger
- How to Write Engaging Character Dynamics
- How to Write Marketing Hooks that Snag Your Audience’s Attention
- How to Write a Monologue Your Readers Will Remember
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
