As a way to begin our class inquiry
into writing, I'd like to start simply. We all have our own ideas about what "good writing" is,
often influenced by "school" authorities (our past teachers' expectations,
standards associated with tests we've been forced to take), but also influenced
by larger cultural ideas about good writing which might come from assumed
workplace expectations, as well as our own expectations as readers/consumers of
texts. Today, I'd like you to start thinking about where your ideas about
"good writing" come from and how those ideas have influenced the
choices you've made and your assumptions about what writing can be/do.
Respond to this post by clicking on
the comment button and address the following questions:
● What is your idea of “good writing”?
● Where do your preconceptions of “good
writing come” from?
● Can you think of a time when your
conception of “good writing” didn't work or seem "right" in the
context?
● Is your conception of “good writing
limiting” in any way?
● Would you behave differently as a
writer, or understand yourself differently as a writer, if you conceived of
"good writing" in a different way?
Once you've responded to these
questions (you don't have to write the questions out or respond to them in some
lockstep way--you have the freedom to pursue them as you wish), I want you to
read through what your classmates have said and respond to at least one of
their ideas. This is an opportunity to
practice your referencing skills by explaining who you're responding to and by
paraphrasing or quoting from that person's post
My idea of good writing is having good ideas and exploring and writing them down on paper. when I have an idea or have an assignment to write i just begin to write and try to think of things to write about that go with my idea or the topic. when I am writing I think outside the box but to the extent of staying on topic, because if not i am just rambling on and on and then my story or essay won't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI believe good writing is when you relate your ideas to life experiences, which people can relate to regarding certain topics . Every one has their own idea on what good writing is, but it's simply writing down yours thoughts on paper.
ReplyDeleteYes i agree that it is your thoughts on paper but it also needs to be entertaining for the reader. There are different kinds of books non-fiction, fiction, fantasy, science fiction, etc. Good writing is not just life experience if so then there wouldn't be any of these fiction books.
DeleteI also think that good writing shouldn't be limited to just writing about ideas that relate to life experiences. But I do feel that it is important to sometimes relate your writing to real life experiences. Most readers would enjoy something they could relate to and most great things come from just writing your thoughts on paper first.
Deletei agree with you when it comes to having your writing relate to real life experiances but there is so much more to it. But i agree with you also about how it helps readers to relate to your writing and find it more intresting.
DeleteI agree also, people write what they know, but I don't think in necessarily has to come from life experiences.
Delete"Good Writing" is something we are conceived to believe is attained through following the method we were taught throughout our educational ride. It has to have a thesis, a body and a conclusion and most students don't find anything wrong with this structal method. I think that the structure of this method restricts a persons thoughts to fit the method, which can be so frustrating at times. I think that "good writing" only needs to flow from beginning to end grasping the readers attention and having them wanting more.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to call you out, but we were instructed to comment on at least one other post and yours is only one of three to choose from. I just want to point out that writing is more than a thesis, body, and a conclusion. Writing can be a novel, it can be a movie script, it could be a song or a poem, or a business proposal. Writing can be anything; although I definitely agree that the purpose of writing is to grasp a reader's attention from beginning to end. If a song sucks for the first 30 seconds, you'll change the station. If a book is boring for the first 50 pages, you'll put it down and be disheartened having wasted your time with it. Writing is meant to be read. Rather by you, a fellow student, a teacher, or the entire world. The key therefore, is to identify your audience and capture their attention effectively.
DeleteNow I don't mean to call YOU out, but as you said, we must comment. I for one, LOVE to read comic books. So I know what you mean about writing being anything, and you're definitely right about alluring an audiences attention, and keeping it that way for as long as they allow it, but what about other books such as the Bible? Entire religions revolve around it, what would it be considered? It's telling stories and explaining reason and basic human morality; rules that mankind should follow by, so does that still make it a novel? If you don't really get my point, it's fine, all I'm trying to say is that you can't really compare it to any other novel like the Twilight and the Hunger Games series you know? It became more of a symbol than just any other ordinary book.
DeleteGiven that this is not an essay, but simply a short answer assignment, I'll refrain from developing this too much:
ReplyDeleteIn order to assess what "good writing" is, one must examine the purpose of writing. Every text is written for a purpose - to tell a story, to motivate consumers to purchase a product, to strike fear into the public, or to persuade someone to accept a new idea. The potential that writing has over a reader is endless. The Bible, the Koran and countless other holy books -- all inspire people to completely frame their lives to what is in the text. Harry Potter and Twilight entertain anyone and everyone who appreciates them. Biographies and history books, although dull can give people so much insight into the world around them by analyzing fact's of the past contained in them. An article on MyMD.com can inspire someone to quit smoking and to start dieting. Overall, GOOD writing, fulfills its purpose. No one sits down to write thinking "I hope no one internalizes a word of this." Well, maybe some bad writers in an English 1302 course might hope their professor only glances through their rubble and passes them without critiquing every word on every essay they write. Good writing inspires, it persuades, it enlightens, it changes, it entertains. Personally, I love writing most because of its power. It's fair to say that contemporary citizens don't read as much as they would have 50 years ago or 100 years ago. They would rather Watch Jersey Shore and change the channel when the news comes on and only buy a newspaper if a family member is coming out in it; however, for the sacred few who do read, writers have complete power over them. This power, I believe is generated through anonymity. Anonymity eliminates all prejudice in an audience's mind. If someone sees their friend Mark on stage for a high school play, they aren't seeing the character Mark is playing, they are seeing Mark. If I hear my friend Singing a song he wrote, I don't see him as a musician, but I see him as my friend with a guitar in his hands. Writing is a beautiful tool. I can write this comment right now. You, the reader -- student or teacher -- almost definitely don't know who I am. After all, we've only had one class together thus far. But you're reading this. You're reading my thoughts. Literally. The beauty of this anonymity is you don't see me as the fat kid sitting in the back of the class who you make fun of or the hot girl who does her make-up and texts all class long. You don't know me, yet you're getting to know me already. If I were the fat ugly kid, you wouldn't want to hear what I have to say the same way Zach Galifianakis will never get the same roles that Brad Pitt gets in movies because he jsut isnt compelling enoguh to stare at for 2 hours long. If I were the hot girl, you'd give me all the attention in the world but you wouldn't even listen to the words I say. Anonymity, folks. That's what I'm all about. I'm sure when I post this my name will pop up and you'll learn my name in class a few weeks. But will you ever know me? Will anyone ever KNOW anyone? I'll spare you all of the epistemology garbage and just say that what i consider good writing is factual and effective -- effective meaning the writing is a cause that leads to an effect in a reader. The best way to do this is simply to write what you know and develop it well. Like I said, this is no essay, but if it were I'd follow through on the latter half of that better.
You have a very intuitive mind and i enjoyed reading your aspect of what "good writing" is and i do agree with you somewhat...but only extremist and people without their own train of thought go through with what you stated about holy books; but they are as much an entertainment aspect as Harry Potter and Twilight if you can envision it.
DeleteGood writing, to me, is explaining your topic thoroughly enough to get your point across, but short enough to keep the reader interested. You don't want to bore the reader to death by constantly shoving facts and opinions in their face! Relate to her or him, and just keep the writing captivating. Once the reader gets bored, you lost the connection, and it is HARD to get their attention back.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you on that one. I feel that no matter how bad someone wants to say there story word for word, detail by detail, they have to cut it short otherwise the reader will daze off or just become bored and stop reading all together. If specific details just need to be said, the writer better make sure that story is interesting!
DeleteI agree with your idea of what good writing is, because grabbing the readers attention is key. Once you lose a readers interests it goes downhill from there but getting the their attention isn't impossible.
DeleteI believe "good writing" is writing that develops as the character being spoken of or the situation being spoken of develops. As my high school English Literature teacher told me, "You're writing isn't any good because you aren't developing." At first, I was angry with her, because I personally believed that I had a strong way of writing and telling my story. I put myself into character and I write as if it's I in that character's situation. I remember crying after I got that paper back and saw it wasn't an A. My goal of being Valedictorian was going to be thrown out of the window if my English teacher kept grading the way she was grading. I never forgave her for that non- "A" on my first writing assignment, but I am thankful she told me about that growing I needed to do in my writing... even though she really could've told me in person and not on my grade. I do believe that as a story becomes complicated or intense, complicated and intense vocabulary and word structure needs to happen. I tend to be biased about that sometimes, but when you really think about it, or when I really think about it, it's true. It's what grabs the readers attention, unknowingly. It's not like you're going to tell a war story using simple words, you have to use intense vocabulary to really put that feeling of war out there. My conception of good writing isn't limiting... when I have enough time to write an essay that is. In that one highschool english class, I had two or three essays due a week, so taking the time to develop in each and every essay was difficult and did not happen right away, but slowly I got into the rhythm of it. I am definitely a better writer with this definition of good writing then I was before it.
ReplyDelete"Good Writing" for me is for someone to have everything in check with their work. Starting off with a rough draft and to catch the mistakes or to provide better sentences/words into it. Making the final draft the best result of your ideas and thoughts that you wrote down to make the story you want it to be. Where it catches the readers attention from the beginning to the end. Making the reader feel like they are part of the story with the author; as in they story literally came out and grab them inside it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Write till perfection!
DeleteGood writing is delivered by the author's ability to manipulate words and the reader's ability to visualize them. For example, I had a small affinity for biology and it was slowly growing cold with every tasteless textbook I read. However, authors like Richard Dawkins, Ernst Mayr, and Stephen Jay Gould ignited biology for me into a everlasting flame. They explained the material in a poetic way and gave me a deep appreciation to the complexity, diversity, and unity of life.
ReplyDeleteTo me good writing would be something that would leave a good, long lasting impression on someone. Whether it was because it was relateable to the reader, the reader learned from it, or it opened the reader up to something new. I feel like writing is mostly about sharing what you have with the world. It could be anything like thoughts, stories for entertainment,feelings, information, knowledge, perspective, or ideas. Since I've been influenced by something I have read I feel that something that leaves a lasting impression could be considered good writing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. The hole purpose of a writing is for some one else to read what you have wrote, and if it gives a lasting impression on the reader you have achieved something more than just write a paper, you have left a thought, an idea on that persons life. As you said Tanya "something that leaves a lasting impression could be considered good writing".
Deleteto me good writing has to be when you can take your writing and realate it to experiance that youve had in your life and when you can make your writing your own. Good writing is also when your able to not just answer the question but answer it in a way thats outside the box and write in a different way from how you would normaly approch the certain question or topic your gonna write about. Good writing goes into deep depth and really disects whats being talked about. Some whos influenced my way of thinking when it comes to good writing would be my jounior/senior year teacher from highscghoo. Her name is Mrs. Corroy and she has such a strong love for reading and writing, she talked about writing with such passion and she loved writing that would go into depth and be writen in a way that was never done before. She said that god writing takes time and planning, she says good writing comes from explaoring and molding and being a sergent by "disecting" the topic of your writing to really understand it. One time that my good writing didnt work was when i was writing a paper over the book The Writing Life by Annie Dillard, it was probably one of the worst papers i ever wrote and i think the reason for this was because i didnt fully understand the book. If you dont understandb what your writting about then you cant write a good paper and so me not understanding the book really made me fail on writing. My concept of good writing is limiting in a way becaus eit is sometime hard for me and maybe others to be able to really understand something and take it outside the box. Some people dont like writing so its hard for them to mazybe be able to think about going deeper in to depth with the writing when they dont enjoy it. I probably would have saw good writing in a very different way, for example my sister saw good writing differently from me because she was taught by a teacher that expressed good writing differnt from mine so if a different teacher other then Mrs, Corroy had thought me i would have saw writing completely different.
ReplyDeleteWhen I turn the leafy pages of a book hour after hour, when I snort out a laugh, ponder the meaning hidden behind the words, or tear up all because the letters formed words growing into sentences that were so beautifully written, making me a chaos of emotion. When I feel this way, I don't consider it good writing but great writing in all ways no matter if it was even just entertaining tale only for the moment.Over the years my conception of writing has been influenced by my teachers who have asked of us all to look for a beginning, a middle and an end. I had read a book that had kept me intrigued all the way through and when the end came, I became upset at the lack of information, leaving the fate of the characters a mystery. But as I mulled this over I realized the writer might have done this on purpose for us, the reader, to realize that just because the story ends doesn't mean it's over. The only thing that matters as you read is that it holds your interest, nothing else.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you!! That is what you call a great writer, like i said in my post when you can literally see what is going on in your mind as you read each and every word of the pages is great writer. Then to top it off to even understand the hidden meanings and humor of the story.
DeleteIn my opinion good writing to me is when a writer is able to tell a good story. I believe that the detail of the story is what makes it come to life and capture the reader’s attention. Yes there is something that the writer can say that seem interesting, but can the reader really understand them. I think a good writer can tell a story clearly and make the reader actually see the story in their minds.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your emily good writing is when a writer can tell a good story using specific details that makes it come a life and grasp the readers attention. A good writer can tell a good story by making it clear and understandable for the reader to understand and posssibly make an impact on one's life.
DeleteGood writing can be informative, persuasive, or even a fiction story to entertain the reader, but it has to have a purpose. I grow up thinking that I was not a good writer do to my spelling problems, but not everything about writing is spelling. There is something more important, and that is caching the attention of the reader, and leaving something that he can take from your writing.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that writing must have a defined purpose in order to be good. No matter what type of writing it is, as long as the author knows what he wants to accomplish with his writing he can begin to develop his story and accomplish an exemplary work.
Delete“Good Writing” to me is that is the writer can get their point across and show emotion. Whether he’s writing to inform, entertain or trying to get money for school. And the reader does what the writer was trying to say.
ReplyDeleteGood writing is writing that attains its purpose. If the author writes an expository piece, his writing must be descriptive and well defined. If the writing is informative, it should represent all the angles of a story without bias. It must also be written with an audience in mind, in order to use the proper vocabulary and in a fashion that will keep the reader's interest.
ReplyDeleteExactly, if the writer has no purpose, the story going absolutely no where.
Delete-Allyson Desmond
Good Writing to me is getting your points across. You put ideas on paper and organize them. Start with rough drafts and its slowly sculpted into perfection (at least in your opinion.) Just really depends on the writer.
ReplyDeleteAlso, depends on what you're writing for (informative, persuasive, or for entertainment.)
i completely agree with you Jonathan :)
DeleteI agree with his comment you need to build in to your writing until you get your idea clear
DeleteMy idea of "good writing" is being able to communicate our point of view effectively, where the reader can understand and engage in the story. We need to order our words and ideas on paper in ways that make sense to the reader. This process is very important because the writer needs to have the reader’s attention from the beginning, if not the reader will lose focus and eventually not finish the story (unless is an assignment for class:) )
ReplyDeleteI like to compare it to a movie, if the first ten minutes of the movie suck; more than likely I will stop paying attention and end up turning t off.
My conception of good writing comes from being able to write and edit information at the same time. I believe a good writer can tackle the task of editing and composing at the same time. My pre conceptions of writing come from writing many essays throughout my scholastic career. My writing style, has for the most part, stayed the same, i don't believe it has changed much, if any. This idea of good writing comes from my own experience with writing essays and papers. I believe that in order to be time efficient, one has to be able to edit, and turn ideas into concrete operational format without having to think too much about it. Writing is a fluid process and i like to take it as such. The only time that my writing has not seem adequate for the task at hand is when i write papers in APA format. I am a psych major, so I have to be aquatinted with the format. I feel that it is a bit too technical for me, in the research type of way. at least, thats how i had to deal with it in my research methods class. Other than that scenario, i feel my writing style fits most of what i write. As far as limiting, again, i only think of the above scenario as the only place where my writing can be a bit limiting. I like to write drafts before hand and take a more technical approach to my writing, but i dont stress over it too much, writing should be fluid. If I conceived of good writing in a different way, i dont think my papers would take so long!!! i like to be efficient, but i can get a little perfectionist on certain things.
ReplyDeleteI think good writing is when you are capable of writing you think. I have a huge problem whit my writing because I always forget what I think, or sometimes I don’t have the capacity of explaining myself. I have a huge problem organizing my writing but having good writing means writing something everybody is going to understand. I think if you can write what you think and put in an organized way you’re going to have good writing.
ReplyDeleteTo be brutally honest, I am a huge believer in the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, everyone has their own ideas and perceptions as to what ‘good writing’ is; for example, I may say, good writing is when someone pores their heart and soul into a specific topic or theory. What I mean by that, is that I prefer when the writer is genuinely interested in their topic rather than receiving a topic from an authority figure that the writer has no knowledge of knowing about until they begin research. I can always sort of tell when a person is really into their specific topic because the words have much more depth.
ReplyDeleteRecently I mentioned that the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, because, of all of the preconceptions I’ve gathered about writing over the years, that phrase has got to be the most prestige of them all. Reason being is that, even if I think someone is a good writer, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is going to think the same way; to me, an example of a good writer would be someone like Malcolm Gladwell, another person may think otherwise. The bottom line is that even if someone may believe that they write good or don’t write good, people are going to have their own opinions. I believe that descriptions of all these essentials to having ‘good writing’ is somewhat a reason why some might believe that writing may be difficult, because it puts people in a vulnerable position which may cause limitations as to what the writer may or may not want to express. With that being said, as much as I believe that I have exhausted almost all ways of looking at what is considered ‘good writing’, I’ve come to learn that I will never stop learning about what it is to be a good writer and I don’t know if anyone really ever will so the most important thing about being a good writer [in my opinion] is to never get the that point of feeling as though I know everything about writing because I know for a fact that I don’t, and because of that, I still continue to look forward to learning about it.
PS. Sorry for the inconvenience, I am not sure why it published my name in scrambled letters but this is a post from me, Allyson Desmond.
DeleteA good writing in my opinion is a writing that gives out feelings. The kind of writing you just read and can feel every emotion the narrator, character, etc…felt at the moment. That to me is a great writing. A good writing with feeling is a writing that will get a reader asking for more. This to me is very important. I know that the only way I will read a book is if the writing gets me emotional. It’s like a bipolar thing. One moment I will be laughing along with the character, writer, writing, etc…and the next moment I got to be mad and wishing I could throw the book at that particular character. That’s the kind of writing I think is a good writing; a writing that has an interaction with the reader. Now that to me is the most important element to making a good writing. Or at least that’s what I think.
ReplyDeleteRosaura Sosa says: "In my opinion I believe writing that captures emotion and scenery makes up "good writing".
ReplyDeleteWhen a writer makes you feel as if you are there; feeling the intensity or the vibe he or he tries to give off in the writing.
A "good writing" gives in to great detail, again making the scenery come to life.
Writing that motivates you or impacts your life in any way, to me, is "good writing" as well. "
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ReplyDelete