Comments on: Good Writing – It’s Not Complicated

By: chris

chris — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:13:55 +0000

Hi, interesting article and comments.
Stephen king certainly acknowledged the importance of reading to his writing ability.
and whether we like his books or not he is clearly a successful writer.
i read a report recently (for the moment i can’t remember where or when) but the gist of it was that to excel at ANYTHING required an excessive amount of hours EVERY day for YEARS and that in the study there was no exception, there was equally no incident of someone naturally talented who had not put in those hours.
An equally high, but less, number of hours lead to competence without the excellence.
Less hours lead elsewhere.

chris´s last blog post..Respounchous

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:04:55 +0000

You’re right, Margaret. Reading helps a lot with good writing, a point also made by Stephen King, who included a long list of his favorite books in On Writing.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:03:32 +0000

That’s one way of looking at it, Timothy, but I still maintain that if you can learn the skills, you can write competently.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:31:58 +0000

I think the majority of people who exhibit decent writing skills in high school or college have been reading since they were young kids. By reading, they have been exposed to all kinds of writing and ideas. Those who really want to write want to express their ideas. Those who have never been interested in reading are seldom interested in writing.

However, it is never too late to learn. Sometimes an illness, injury, or even incarceration, forces people to start reading just to pass the time and maintain their sanity, and they subsequently develop a desire to write, too. I think writing well requires, as a prerequisite, having read enough to develop a mental “ear” for the language in which they write. Those who learn a second language as an adult (instead of as a multi-lingual child) have a harder time getting to that level of familiarity with the second language.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:24:41 +0000

Well, as always, it depends on what you mean. Writing, in the most basic sense, is not complicated, but writing correctly is not easy–as shown by how few people are able to do it.

Furthermore, writing correctly AND well is even more difficult. So, it turns out to be a little more complicated than it might seem.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:42:17 +0000

True, George, but I think there’s a place for writers who are merely competent, too.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:40:32 +0000

I’ve found Stephen King’s book interesting, Katarzyna, but I believe that practice is one of the best ways to hone and improve your skills. As you say: ‘write, write and write some more’.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:39:08 +0000

Stephen King’s ego aside, Bobby, I agree that finding a writing voice is an important part of writing things that others want to read.

By: Tumblemoose

Tumblemoose — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:19:52 +0000

I do think there is hope for folks and that most anyone can be taught to write. With that said, there is a certain amount of natural talent that comes in to play. I would never discourage anyone from giving it their all and going for the brass ring. I guess it's like swimming. Anyone can be taught to swim, and can train hard to learn all of the techniques. Maybe they will be a very good swimmer - but not all will end up being Michale Phelps. George Tumblemoose´s last blog post..Use flash fiction to move your writing forward

By: Katarzyna Radzka

Katarzyna Radzka — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:37:21 +0000

Hi Sharon

I agree with you that writing can be taught, just like many other things. It all comes down to wanting to learn. Bad writers can become great writers if they are willing to put in the effort and sweat, as well as, be determined and persistent along the way.

Stephen King is a great marketer, his writing sells many books. He too had to learn how to write and his story is very motivational for many writers, but that doesn’t mean we have to agree with every word he says. There are still some good tips in his book.

Talent needs nurturing. To become a great piano play one needs to practice, practice, practice and practice some more, the same goes for writing. If we want to achieve great writing, we need to write, write, write and write some more – in different genres, styles and formats – then with a little luck -thave we have created, – we can attain anything we set our mind to.

Katarzyna Radzka´s last blog post..Are You Happy With Your Writing?