What makes a good writer?

I’m not talking about great! Shakespeare and the classics authors have stood the test of time, so can be fairly judged to fit the term, “great.” I’m discussing contemporary writers here.

Among contemporary writers, what makes their work stand out among their peers?

We each have our favorite writers, whose books we must believe are good or we wouldn’t read them. They string words together well and their writing holds our attention. They’re articulate and they don’t make grammatical errors. However, what specifically distinguishes a good writer from the rest of the crowd?

Here are a few thoughts on the subject.

The writing is engaging. It captures readers’ attention and holds it all the way through the story or book. It probably even leaves readers wanting more.

The writing is grammatically correct. Good writers’ novels are properly punctuated. And outside of dialogue, the language is grammatically correct. If it’s a novel about an illiterate character, then it might be okay to ignore some rules. To be good, the character’s dialogue must be written in the language he or she would use—no matter how fractured their verbal skills might be. If a real person living in the setting the character appears in would commonly use ain’t, then the book’s character should use it.

Good authors can put their thoughts and feelings into words. Some writers are much better at this than others. They can describe ordinary places, people, and objects in words so that you understand exactly what they’re saying. You as a reader can visualize the scene as if you were there. You can feel the subject’s emotions.

Among contemporary writers who can do this, William Least Heat-Moon stands out as one of the best. He can take everyday situations and make you part of the action. When he describes people, his words sing.

Here is a brief quote from his book, Blue Highways that tells you exactly what he sees, but he describes things in words most of us would never think to use to express our thoughts. But they’re perfect. “The waitress wore threads of wrinkles woven like Chantilly lace over her forehead...”

Another wonderful passage describes another waitress, this one young and rude.
“Early in life she had developed the ability to make a customer wish he’d thrown up on himself rather than disturb her.”

Good authors can make their readers either laugh out loud or cry a flood of tears. Sometimes they can do both. Readers feel the emotions of the lead character. The writer makes every scene and circumstance come alive. Sometimes good writers pop up where we least expect them.

Janet Evanovich is a contemporary writer who has created her own best-selling niche that appeals to millions of readers. Her heroine, Stephanie Plum, is a bounty hunter, and as such, is a giant accident waiting to happen. Her antics are in turn hilarious and frightening. And when I grab one to read, I can’t put it down until it’s finished. Some people would categorize her books as chick-lit, but my husband loves them, too!

A good author is popular. I’m not sure this is a fair category because I’ve read some books by popular writers that weren’t all that great. At least I didn’t think so. But if their books consistently make the bestseller lists, then their fans are certainly finding the books interesting and entertaining. But will they stand the test of time?

Good writers are not always the most popular, but their work will remain popular through the decades and even centuries.

John Steinbeck’s works evoke strong emotion and have stood the test of time, so he falls under my description for a “good” writer—maybe even a "great" one. His beautifully descriptive words have caused readers to laugh and cry, feel happy and sad, and his writing evokes great empathy for his characters. It is a very special writer who can challenge the status quo, and inspire people to act for the betterment of those less fortunate.

The question you may be asking yourself is do I (Kay Kennedy) think I’m a good writer? P-l-e-e-e-z-e! I wish! My goal is to someday be a fairly good writer who can entertain readers, inspire people, and give hope to the hopeless, but I’m still a long way from there. But I keep plugging away.

I make grammatical errors sometimes and I am guilty of typos that slip through. My worst problem is writing a sentence that I’m sure won’t make sense to readers, so I re-write it and while erasing the previous sentence, accidentally leave a stray word in from my previous thought. Or I accidentally erase a word that should have been there. And somehow, these mistakes escape notice during proofreading or editing.

Every writer worries about mistakes slipping through, but I try not to focus on them. If I did, I could never put my thoughts and feelings into words. I would never manage to help readers see what I see. I have a feeling this is something good writers don’t worry about either. They leave that until last, after their words are down on paper and already successful at telling the story.

So until I can get every word perfect, make my writing interesting to readers and maybe even inspire them, I’ll never consider myself a “good” writer. And maybe that will never happen, but I love writing and I’ll keep on trying until the day I’m pushing up daisies.

And that’s what I want you to understand. If you like to write—especially if you love it—keep doing it. Everyday! Even if you think you can’t sell a story or article, write for yourself, or your friends and family. Some good writers are never discovered until after they’re gone, just like famous artists. Who knows? You and I may someday be remembered as great writers.