What is Good Writing?

By Celeste Mora



I’ve written things on the Internet for a minute–between six and eight years, depending on how you count.

In that time, I’ve seen many people online shamed for being “bad writers.” From outright trolling to well-meaning “grammar policing,” it seems that every egg on Twitter has thoughts on others’ writing mechanics, tone, or delivery.

But I don’t think “good” and “bad” writers exist. There are simply writers. Some improve their writing. Some don’t.

How to write English Sentences 2

How to use six basic sentence constructions formats
We know from "How to Write English Sentences 1" that before you write an English sentence some decisions have to be made. 

What is the single or complete thought that you are stating, describing, explaining or asking. Now we have to decide which of six basic English sentence construction formats best suits your sentence. 

How to Write English Sentences 1 - "start simple"

How to Write English Sentences 1 - "start simple"

We know from the "How to Write English Sentences Introduction" the first stage of organization is choosing the single or complete thought that you are stating, describing, explaining or asking. The thought should include 1. a subject, and 2. an action or state of being. 

The following are examples of starting with a basic thought and experimenting by adding the different English parts of speech, phrases and clauses.

How to Write English Sentences

How to Write English Sentences - Introduction

Before you write an English sentence you have to get organized. 

The first stage of organization is choosing the single or complete thought that you are stating, describing, explaining or asking. The thought should include 1. a subject, and 2. an action or state of being. 

When to spell out numbers

Many writers have difficulty figuring out when to write numbers in words or figures. There are some general rules but these are not applicable in all contexts. The following guidelines should, nevertheless, help.

The numbers of Kings and Queens should be written in Roman characters.

• Examples: Elizabeth II, Louis XIV

Ordinal numbers up to twelfth should be written in words except in dates.

• He finished second. (NOT He finished 2nd.)
• Who came first? (NOT Who came 1st?)

• He was born on 3rd May. OR He was born on May 3rd. (BUT Not normally He was born on third May.)

Cardinal numbers up to 12 should be written in words, except when telling the time.

• We need three chairs and one table.
• He has three sisters.
• The train leaves at 5 pm.

Cardinal and ordinal numbers above twelve and twelfth should be written in either figures or words as seems in each case more convenient.

• There were 50 students in the class.

Technical writing, however, is different. In technical writing, any numbers used with measurements of time or distance should be expressed in figures. Examples are 5 years, 2 months, 6 inches, etc.

There is some difficulty in defining the rules, but generally, any number that represents a key value is written in figures. For example in the sentence, ‘This chipset is based on the 32nm technology’ the numeral is in order because the number 32 has a key value in the context. When the number is not very ‘important’ it can be written in words.

Even in technical writing, sentences shouldn’t begin with numerals. In such cases write the number out in words or rephrase the sentence so that the number doesn’t begin the sentence.

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, whole numbers from one through one hundred, round numbers and any number beginning a sentence should be spelled out. For other numbers, numerals are used.

20 Writing Tips From Fiction Writers

Tips from 12 best selling fiction authors.

Use these tips as an inspirational guide - or better yet, print a copy of your desk, home office, refrigerator door, or elsewhere, so that you can be reminded constantly to stop writing your writing. Do not let the thoughts of your story go away.

Essay Writing

Essay writing is an indispensable part of academic life - something a student cannot overlook. Essay writing demands certain skills on the part of the writer. The term 'essay writing' is now more applied in the academic context, while essays are written by famous and upcoming essayists in the non-academic world as well. A well-written essay is proof of the writer's knowledge of a certain topic. Essay writing is a valuable tool for monitoring the skills of proper organization of ideas, good vocabulary, systematic argument and coherence of ideas.

Narrative Writing

Did you wonder why the newspaper that you read is different from the Pride and Prejudice you finished a week earlier? That is because these two are different forms of narrative. A narrative writing is a storyteller on paper. This story can be real, and can be fake, or a mix of both. A narrative usually has characters, a setting, an antagonist, a plot that thickens and unfolds time to time, and an ending happy, sad or real.

Types of Narrative Writing:

There are 3 major forms of narrative writing. They are:

• Fiction
• Non-fiction
• Poetry

Persuasive Writing

Types of Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Writing

If you have ever had a debate, you must already know how to write an article that can persuade. You just have to put what you would say, into words. It can be why your school shouldn't be more than 3 hours, why peanut butter is better than Nutella, why Real is better than Barca. Anything it is, you just have to try to make the reader accept and be persuaded by your point of view.

3 Perfect Examples of How to Write an Apology Letter

3 Perfect Examples of How to Write an Apology Letter

You screwed up. Now it’s time to own it. Knowing how to apologize is a crucial life and career skill. But when you write an apology letter, creating a permanent record of an event and your response to it, it’s all the more important that you get it right.

Why is writing an apology letter so hard?

Apologizing is an art form few of us seem to master. We don’t want to admit our mistakes because we think that making mistakes reflects badly on our character. But the truth is, not apologizing, or making a feeble non-apology, is often worse.