How Do You Define Bad (or Good) Writing?

[pameladlloyd]

Jonathan Morrow has a thought-provoking article on the 7 Bad Writing Habits You Learned in School.

I think that in stating his case, he may have gone a bit too far. For example, there are many situations when I want to know the source of information and I'm not always averse to footnotes. I also think that it's important that students learn enough grammar to be able to express themselves in something approaching standard English. But, I do think it's true that students' creativity can be endangered by too many stultifying writing assignments and too many rules to follow. I do believe that it's important that students develop the ability to write in ways that provoke both thought and feeling. I want students to have the self-confidence to allow themselves to break grammatical rules in the interests of voice.

What are your thoughts on the matter?



ETA: I'm listening to music composed by John Boswell that uses electronic modulation to remix snippets of old science shows. You can see videos and download mp3s at http://symphonyofscience.com/.

Comments

[larryhammer]

Meh. Morrow seems to acknowledge that some of the advice he's tearing down comes from mistaking a single audience for all possible audiences, but then the advice he puts in its place makes the same mistake, using a different single audience.

---L.

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

One thing about Morrow's article is that it starts off by characterizing English teachers as if they're all of a piece.

What is good writing?

Ask an English teacher, and they’ll tell you good writing is grammatically correct. They’ll tell you it makes a point and supports it with evidence. Maybe, if they’re really honest, they’ll admit it has a scholarly tone — prose that sounds like Jane Austen earns an A, while a paper that could’ve been written by Willie Nelson scores a B (or worse).

While he does go on to admit momentarily that not all English teachers are like that, he immediately jumps back on his bad writing is caused by bad teaching bandwagon, where bad teaching is characterized by too much emphasis on form. But, I haven't really met the cardboard cut-out writers he suggests emerge from this approach to teaching. I've met writers who've mastered (most of) the basics of form and who are working at developing those skills required to bring life to creative works. I've also met writers who lack the basic grammar and writing skills Morrow dismisses so breezily, who struggle to tell the stories in their hearts, while lacking the ability to put coherent thoughts on a page.

[tillianion.livejournal.com]

From my comment to the post - I don't believe that school gives you the answers for anything. School provides a basis of knowledge and skill, from which adults then create and build and become what they want to be. Woodwork classes at school don't make someone a carpenter, and nor do English classes make someone a writer.

Good writing for me is writing that is interesting, thought-provoking, exciting, emotional and accessible.

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

Very well put.

I think it's important to remember that most English classes are intended to present the basics of writing to students with a variety of interests, so that they'll be able to function in our society. So, while writers may get their start there, and while English teachers may (or may not) be delighted to foster that start, it's not the actual point of the classes.

Of course, there are people who study writing at the college level, many of whom are hoping that their studies will help them to become a writer, but that's an entirely different kettle of fish.