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What Are The Differences Between Good Writers And Bad Writers?

By on January 30, 2019
What Are The Differences Between Good Writers And Bad Writers? - Writer's Life.org

Because writing is so subjective, being able to say what makes good writing good, and, consequently what makes bad writing bad, is difficult.

OK, so there are obvious mistakes that writers can make - poor grammar and spelling, repetitive descriptions and so on. But what one reader might find monotonous and uninspiring might be right up another readers alley.

Many famous and successful books have opinions divided. The Twilight Saga, 50 Shades of Grey, even more, ‘serious’ books, such as Life of Pi - have all had their share of critics, despite being bestsellers and having had movies made out of them.

Lots of now highly celebrated novelists have also revealed how many times they were rejected before a publisher gave them a chance. Does that mean that some of the editors they sent their novels to thought that their writing was bad? Possibly. Probably.

However, there is one huge difference between good writers and bad writers, and that’s that good writers never gave up. You wouldn’t know about them if they did.

Writing is a craft; it can be learnt. Every writer that starts out will not be as good a writer as they will be if they keep doing it for twenty years, and applying themselves to the practice of writing, and be open to learning and experimenting and refining their art and taking advice and criticism.

Good writers didn’t give up halfway through their first draft because they thought it was terrible. Good writers didn’t throw their manuscript in the bin before they’d even bothered to send it off to anyone for a second opinion. Good writers didn’t stop writing because they received a rejection, or a third or a fourth.

If you are willing to put the effort in. To take criticism and rejection on the chin and think of it as an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and get even better, then you will. You’ll keep improving, and you’ll become a good writer because you are committed to the craft and will keep progressing and doing whatever it takes to get you there.

Let’s be clear about this. This doesn’t mean you can just write once a month, or whenever the inspiration takes you. It’s about creating a schedule, deciding on your writing goals, and working tirelessly to achieve them.

Bad writers don’t do this. They are either too fearful or too precious about their writing to try and edit it properly, to truly make it better. They talk about writing as if that’s all they want to do, yet can’t seem to find the time ever to sit down and get anything done. They are full of excuses, and they are afraid of failure, so they don’t even try.

Making the time to write takes effort. Going through the editing process properly can be tedious and grueling. Putting your work out there for the world to see can be genuinely terrifying. But if you want to be a good writer, you need to persevere, you need to have discipline and humility, and you need to be able to take a knock or two.

So do you have what it takes to be a good writer?

bethany cadman

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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