Writing Workshop Minilesson: The Principles of Good Writing

Good writing should improve the experience of the reader. Good writing is knowledgeable and intelligent. Good writing informs the reader or explains something to the reader. Good writing tells a story or shares an experience. Writers create good writing using different styles and techniques. Although authors' styles are different, there are some qualities that all good writing shares.

• Good writing is clear and gets to the point.
• Good writing has voice and personality.
• Good writing includes the writer's personal experiences. 
• Good writing contains vivid imagery.
• Good writing uses proper grammar.
• Good writing provides practical and accurate information.

Before you begin writing, you must decide who your audience is. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What do my readers need to know?
2. What do I want my readers to understand?
3. What experience do I want my writing to give to the reader?

Good writing should be fresh. You want your writing to be original, out of the ordinary. Your writing should be creative in its freshness. You will want to use your strongest English. Use powerful metaphors and similes. Use any writing device that will excite your reader. Your writing should be easy to read. The audience should not have to decipher or figure out your meaning. Don't deliberately try to confuse your reader. Good writers write from the heart. They sound like real people. Most of what you write will have already been written. Your job is to say it in your original voice. Good writing is often funny, light and lively. It's okay to make your reader laugh if that is the tone that you are going for. It is also a sign of good writing if you surprise your reader by telling them something that they don't know about a subject.

When writing, you should write like you talk. Your tone should be conversational and relaxed. It's okay to put emotion into even formal language. Sometimes, it might help if you imagine that you're talking to your best friend. Think about how you would speak with a friend about your topic. Imagine the tone you might use. Let your audience know your passions. Make word choices that will show how you feel. You want your writing to be readable and publishable.

Keep your writing simple. Don't use big words just to sound smart. You want your audience to understand your ideas. Don't use long sentences just to impress your reader. Most long sentences are confusing. Shorter sentences will keep your reader moving along. Use punctuation to help your reader understand the flow of your piece. You don't want your paragraphs to be too long either. You want to chunk your writing into bite-sized pieces. Don't be too wordy either. Keep your writing tight. Don't start sentences with "it is" or "there are." It's also best if you avoid using "that" as much as possible.

With just a few tweaks, you can improve your writing greatly.