by Kristi Maruno

Qualities of Good Writing

Meaning: A writer's message

  • There is a point to my writing - I can answer the question: "What do I want to say?"
  • There is a reason I am writing this - I can answer: "Why am I writing this?"
  • I can tell enough about my topic so that others can understand what I am writing about. - I can answer the questions: "Who, what, where, when, why, how?"

    • Form and Structure: A way of putting your ideas together so that it makes sense and is easy to follow.

  • I have a beginning, a middle and an end.
  • I group similar ideas/things together.
  • I group similar sentences together to form paragraph(s).
  • I stick to my message without going off track.

    • Language: Word choice - words should be carefully chosen so that they paint a picture in the reader's mind.

  • I try not to use the same word(s) over and over.
  • I try to use desciptive words and/or phrases.
  • I use good vocabulary.

    • Voice: This is the "sound" of the writer/writing. It is the YOU coming through the writing. It is your style and personality.

  • Your voice shows how you feel.
  • It makes your writing "sound" like you.

    • Conventions: Grammar

  • My words are spelled correctly.
  • I started each sentence and all names with a capital letter.
  • I put a punctuation mark (. ? !) at the end of every sentence.
  • I checked each sentence to make sure it made sense. All sentences should tell two things - WHO or WHAT you talking about, and WHAT ABOUT IT.

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