What, other than the subject matter, makes a piece of composition "good?" While there is no standardized template by which copy is measured, authors can improve their writing by composing in a concise, specific and descriptive manner will make for higher-quality writing.
Writing Concisely
As a famous writer once pointed out, it can take longer to make a piece of writing short than to make it long. Concise writing entails careful word choice and deletion of any unnecessary content, both of which require some time.
The following two examples illustrate the difference between a careless, loosely written sentence pair and a tight-knit passage.
First, a poor piece of writing:
They walked up to the car door, and Miranda took out their keys and unlocked the door, then Miranda stepped into the car with her bright red cowboy boots, and everyone set their bags inside and closed the doors.
Now, a better piece of writing.
Miranda, whose red boots glinted in the sun, sat down in the driver’s seat as the others put their bags in the car.
The second passage is shorter, of course, yet it retains the same information. The reader can assume, from reading passage number two, that Miranda walked up to and unlocked the car. It need not be stated directly.
Keeping Prose Specific
If wordy writing wastes the reader’s time, then generalized writing bores them. If ambiguous and unclear phrases are used in place of details, the story will be weaker as a result.
The following sentence is an example of a “general” piece of writing.
The man entered the car and began to drive down the street.
This sentence is unclear enough that both of the following sentences could be substituted for it.
The robber broke into the car and raced down the street.
Or:
The driver entered the hearse and drove slowly down the street.
Both involve men entering cars and driving, do they not? This is why generalized writing both confuses and bores the reader.
Making writing specific is not difficult, however. It simply involves using exact nouns and verbs instead of ambiguous ones. Instead of bird, a word that could apply to a multitude of creatures, say sparrow or falcon. Instead of rain, say showers or thunderstorms.
Ambiguous writing can play a role in fiction, but unless one intends to create multiple meanings to a story or hide a character’s identity, unclear writing should be avoided.
Describing Instead of Stating
The phrase “show, not tell” is one of the most popular in writing education. The idea a simple: instead of simply stating something—one’s emotion, a car’s color—describe it in details that readers will appreciate.
This step is one easy way to improve writing. It has much in common with the “be specific” guideline, as stated sentences are often unclear, whereas descriptive sentences tend to have more details.
The following is an example of “telling,” or “stating” writing.
The man drove down the street.
The sentence simply states to the reader what the man does instead of describing the scene. This sort of writing fails to excite or stir the reader.
The following variation exemplifies descriptive writing:
The needle on his speedometer nicked 80 miles an hour.
In reading about the speedometer alone, the reader learns that the character is speeding down a road. This information is not told directly, but rather inferred from the text.
Practice!
Rarely does good writing happen overnight. However, if one practices to make their writing descriptive, specific and more concise, they will write better than they had before.
