Transcript What Makes Good Writing?

What Makes Good Writing?
(Good question…)
Good Writing…
• Often is in the eye of the beholder (or
teacher)
• Depends upon the intended audience
– Letter to Mom vs. letter to the President
– Mr. King vs. a friend
• Varies with the mode of writing in question
– Short story vs. epic poetry
– Persuasive essay vs. research report
In short: There are as many
definitions of “good” writing as
there are forms of writing
Frustrating, huh?
• Fortunately, there are some common
general characteristics that all good writing
shares.
• At LCHS, our method of articulating these
characteristics draws from Ruth Culham’s
6+1 Writing Traits.
• Good writing almost always will be
excellent in most – if not all – of these
areas.
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One
• The traits (in order of relevance):
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Ideas
Organization
Voice
Sentence Fluency
Word Choice
Conventions
Presentation
• Conventions-mandated second bullet point
(English humor)
Ideas
• The focal point of writing –
why read if the work has
nothing to say?
• Not necessarily something
earth-shatteringly original
(though originality is good)
• Consistency of ideas also
important – everything said
should contribute to the
overarching idea or theme of
the work
Organization
• Content should “flow”
in a logical manner
• Structured
conversation, not
rambling
• Manner of
organization should
contribute to the
overall aim of the
work
What the Heck is “Flow,” Anyway?
• English types like metaphors, and writing
terms are no exception
• In basic terms, flow is a logical, sequential
progression of ideas (i.e. getting from point
A to point B smoothly)
• Writing that flows well doesn’t have to
sound pretty, but it can.
Voice
• Writing style
• Distinguishes YOUR
writing from everyone
else’s
• Bland, third-person
detached writing lacks
a solid voice
• Example:
– “When one must write an essay for College
English, one must always take care to use
appropriate punctuation and spelling.”
– “Essays should give you an idea of what’s
important to you, and that importance should
be reflected in the attention given to
mechanics.”
Sentence Fluency
• Sentences are
complex and
demonstrate high
aptitude for the
English language
• Easy to read, sound
natural
• That dreaded “flow”
again
Word Choice
• A variety of words are used
• Words are appropriate to the context of
the work
• Challenging words based on writer’s level
of ability
• Words “move” the reader based on the
authorial purpose (i.e. forceful words in a
persuasive essay, etc.)
Conventions
• Writing follows proper
conventions of
language
• Spelling
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Appropriateness of
conventions depends
on audience and
authorial purpose
Presentation
• Make it look GOOD!
• Follow formatting guidelines of publication
or instructor
• Looks aren’t everything, but they are
important
Any Questions?