Writers

[Ieshwar]

These questions have been bugging me.

 

What is a good writer?

What qualities do you look for in a good writer?

 

Ieshwar

[JamesSavik]

Honestly- most readers don't CARE about the author.

 

In real estate, it is ALL about location, location, location.

 

In writing, it is ALL about STORY, STORY, STORY.

 

The author being a nice personable sort that gives a good interview and has an interesting past is just a bonus for the publisher.

 

Authors come in all sorts- compair Ernest Hemmingway with Truman Capote. There is no "type", no standard motivation or formula.

[BeaStKid]

These questions have been bugging me.

 

What is a good writer?

What qualities do you look for in a good writer?

 

Ieshwar

well there is no such thing as a good writer. But if you judge the writer on his story, then you can call him good or bad. So as james put it, its all about the story.

 

yeah, how the story is presented matters a lot. there, the writing skills come into play. Anybody can learn writing skills and present a story. But conceiving and imagining a story is an art. So as you put it, a 'good' writer should be imaginative, creative, and original.

 

Just my two cents.

 

hot_bsk

[Dio]

What qualities do you look for in a good writer?

 

In a writer? I look for the ability to construct words and phrases in a logical manner. A person who can also apply the rules of grammar successfully.

 

In a novelist, however, I'd look for the above plus extra. He'd need to be well-read and intelligent. I'd want him to be creative with his plot, characters, and situations. I'd want him to understand human nature, and write about something relevant to my interests.

 

...and he must also be impeccably groomed, cute, kind, and enjoy cuddles. Oh! And he should have freckles too.

 

-db-

[JamesSavik]

...and he must also be impeccably groomed, cute, kind, and enjoy cuddles. Oh! And he should have freckles too.

 

 

I agree Dio.

[Lugh]

These questions have been bugging me.

 

What is a good writer?

What qualities do you look for in a good writer?

 

Ieshwar

 

 

A good writer writes well.

A good writer conveys their ideas to the reader in a manner which informs, educates, entertains, or any combonation thereof.

A good writer does not conform to the supposed 'rules' of writing so rigidly that their writing suffers.

A good writer knows when they have reached 'the end'.

A good writer leaves you feeling satisfied, yet wanting more.

A good writer is not too verbose.

A good writer has a good handle on the language they are writing in.

A good writer has a better than middling grasp on grammar and vocabulary.

A good writer has the ability to vary their sentence structure, and the knowledge to know when they should not.

A good writer knows how to form a paragraph, even in html.

A good writer spell checks.

A good writer studies their craft.

A good writer has friends who are good writers.

A good writer has a better editor.

 

 

and I'm sure there are more....

[eliotmoore]

A good writer writes well.

A good writer conveys their ideas to the reader in a manner which informs, educates, entertains, or any combonation thereof.

A good writer does not conform to the supposed 'rules' of writing so rigidly that their writing suffers.

A good writer knows when they have reached 'the end'.

A good writer leaves you feeling satified, yet wanting more.

A good writer is not too verbose.

A good writer has a good handle on the language they are writing in.

A good writer has a better than middling grasp on grammar and vocabulary.

A good writer has the ability to vary their sentence structure, and the knowledge to know when they should not.

A good writer knows how to form a paragraph, even in html.

A good writer spell checks.

A good writer studies their craft.

A good writer has friends who are good writers.

A good writer has a better editor.

 

 

and I'm sure there are more....

 

I should so study this list carefully. How come so many responses seem to be motivated more about finding a good date that a good read?

[Graeme]

I don't there is much to add.

 

There was another thread that included a statement that I think answers the intent of the original question.

 

A good author has two attributes:

 

1. They are good writers (ie. they have mastered the techniques for putting into written words what they want to say)

2. They are good storytellers (ie. they can keep the readers attention by telling a good story)

 

Together, they make a good author. Each author has strengths and weaknesses, but they'll have both of these attributes to a significant degree.

[Menzoberranzen]

A good writer has a thorough understanding of the nuances of his/her characters.

 

Nothing is worse than an otherwise solid story that has characters who do 180s every two chapters.

[Dio]

How come so many responses seem to be motivated more about finding a good date that a good read?

 

The great thing about open-ended questions--you've nailed it! laff.

 

-db-

[Ieshwar]

In writing, it is ALL about STORY, STORY, STORY.

 

And what's a good story?

 

Ieshwar

 

P.S Thanks for answering my questions. They sound a bit stupid but I really want to know!

[Graeme]

And what's a good story?

That's very subjective and I don't think anyone is going to be able to answer it in an objective manner.

 

To me, a good story is one where I keep turning pages (or scrolling down/clicking on new chapters) because I want to find out what happens.

To me, a good story is one where I find myself inside the story, relating to the characters and imagining what I would do if I was there with them.

To me, a good story is one where it seems real.

 

All of those things are subjective, and there is no one thing that makes it happen. It is a combination of an interesting plot, characters that seem like real people, and writing that makes those characters and that plot seem alive.

[Jason Rimbaud]

I think a good writer knows when to remove himself/herself from the story and let the editor do his/her job without complaining about every little change.

 

I think others here in this thread has said it better than I, but when I'm searching for a new author to read I tend to look for these: (and for the record, I'll assume that any author I'm reading has the basics down, grammar, structure, so on; because I rarely read anyone that has not taken the time to learn simple things like paragraphs)

 

I love to be challenged, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually. And not necessarily in that order. I don't care where the author takes me, as long as it's done in an honest, thought provoking way. I've read some simple stories with simple plot-lines that had me riveted through use of language, and the way the author drove the plot with strong characters.

 

Characterization is very important. A great story idea with weak characters will fall flat every time. But a weak story with strong entertaining characters, in certain instances, can carry the story. As a reader, I want to love the hero and hate the villian. When the wicked stepmother enters the scene, I want the author to make the hero as uncomfortable as possible, to push his character to radical extremes, to grow and change with the conflicts the author creates. I think that is something you should always try to remember, if everything in the hero's life is going great, the reader is not having fun. If the story is going well, it's going nowhere.

 

All that drivel aside, to put it as simple as possible. Every good story you've ever read, can be put into this one simple formula.

 

CONFLICT+ACTION+RESOLUTION=STORY

 

Someone is faced with a problem (conflict), they must struggle with (action), and they win or lose (resolution). If you approach every scene in your story, and you can't put it in this formula, then you don't have a good story.

 

Once you have a conflict, then you throw obstacles in the hero's way, by using desires or seemingly impossible goals, all these things create action. The hero has to do "something" to achieve resolution. Every great story uses this formula.

 

I could go, reciting other people's words, but I think the best advice I could give you is tell you to go out and buy the book where I learned how to begin crafting stories. The name of the book is "Immediate Fiction" written by Jerry Cleaver. I learned the above formula from him. He's the founder The Writer's Loft in Chicago, one of the most successful independent writer's workshop for the last twenty years.

 

Good luck, and I hope you get this book, it really changed my view on writing.

 

Jason R.

[Ieshwar]

I could go, reciting other people's words, but I think the best advice I could give you is tell you to go out and buy the book where I learned how to begin crafting stories. The name of the book is "Immediate Fiction" written by Jerry Cleaver. I learned the above formula from him. He's the founder The Writer's Loft in Chicago, one of the most successful independent writer's workshop for the last twenty years.

 

I'll see if I can get it but I'm not too optimistic. But thanks for all these answering all my queries!

 

Ieshwar