The Different Faces of Good Writing

My last article on the craft of writing focused on contrasting different types of casual writers with professional writers and examined how their craft varies depending on the intended audience. This week, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the different types of quality writing that professional authors will do for their respective styles and genres.

Too often, the concept of ‘good writing’ for professional authors is overly simplified by well-meaning industry professionals. For example, I attended a recent workshop on setting description where the presenter gave multiple examples of lengthy, image-heavy scene description. Her attitude was that these were all examples of good writing, while other, less detailed descriptions, were examples of bad writing. What she failed to mention was that depending on the type of book and the scene involved, there are many times when drawn-out descriptions are the wrong choice and will break the narrative’s flow and pacing.

My point is that there are many approaches to writing which are often presented as absolutes, when in reality, their effectiveness is relative to the type of story that the author wants to tell. Let’s use the idea of long descriptions vs. short descriptions to illustrate.

If I were writing a scene in a literary novella where an old man is sitting on a park bench in winter and is thinking about mortality, that would be a perfect time to use some complex imagery in the description. Details like the cold, silent snow and the low clouds pressing down on the world like death shrouds add to the poignancy of the moment and evoke some real emotion.

But what if the same old man in the park is actually sitting there waiting to make contact with one of his undercover agents in a thriller novel? The reader doesn’t need to know any details about the park, except perhaps that it is cold and uncomfortable but there’s no one around, so it’s the perfect place for this sort of meeting.

Neither of these two approaches is wrong despite their significant differences, and a good author will know what approach is best for each scene and story. Of course, good writing does tend to share some characteristics, regardless of the approach. It’s important to stay focused on the primary purpose of the scene, for example, just like an author should be mindful of common problems like excessive wordiness or failing to establish any setting at all. But a skilled writer will be able to remember all of those important principles while still using the approach that works best for their story and intended audience.

Anthology Update for August 17, 2015

You may have noticed that several of my recent blog posts (including this one) have been somewhat sporadic and/or off schedule. This is partly due to a lot of traveling that I’ve been doing this summer, but it’s also due to the heavy workload I’ve been dealing with lately to get my upcoming short story anthology ready for my beta readers.

That being said, I’m happy to announce that the anthology is now in the hands (or inboxes) of my test readers, and that the rest of August will be spent receiving and implementing their feedback. If all goes according to plan, September will mainly consist of revising and formatting the manuscript for an official release sometime in October. Hopefully we’ll also be able to have a book release party around the same time.

Thanks to all of my friends and fans for your encouragement and support during this process. I couldn’t do it without you!

The Different Faces of a Storyteller

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the different types of people who tell stories. People write stories for a variety of reasons, so it only makes sense that the necessary qualities of a good storyteller would vary with the type of story being told. With that in mind, I thought I’d list a few of the different types of creative writing out there, and talk a little about what makes them different.

Hobby Writing

There are a lot of hobbyist writers out there. I find one in nearly every large gathering of people I encounter. Or rather, they find me. These are the people who come up to me and say “Oh, you’re a writer? Me too! I’ve got this great idea for a story…” and it goes on from there. Now don’t get me wrong. I know that writing is a long, laborious process, and that the first novel can take an especially long time to perfect. But a hobbyist writer isn’t writing with that kind of goal in mind. Hobby writing is more like someone who does watercolor or plays the guitar for their own amusement. They’re not intending to sell their books one day, though they might daydream about it. Hobby writing is focused solely on the pleasure that comes from the initial creative process, as opposed to the difficult but equally rewarding revision process afterwards. A hobby writing storyteller has no limitations and no expectations, and can be said to enjoy the creative process simply for the love of creating art, rather than trying to share it with anyone.

Social Writing

Similar to hobby writing, a social writer isn’t working with the end goal of publication in mind. The difference with social writing however is that it is done as a group effort with similarly-minded friends. Interestingly, I’ve noticed a trend when I’ve spoken to social writers who are also interested in professional writing. When I’ve asked them if they’ve gotten any writing done they’ll often respond with “Not really. I mean, I write with my friends every week, but that’s just for fun.” Unlike the daydreaming hobby writer, the social writer seems to know that their style of storytelling is not targeted towards publication. Instead, a social writer needs to be both flexible and collaborative, willing to share their ideas and implement the ideas of others to create a story that they can enjoy together as a sort of fantasy-life experience.

Fan Fiction

Many professional writers have a very negative view of fan fiction writers, claiming that the work isn’t worth anything because it isn’t original. The truth is that good fan fiction writers know that they’re not trying to compete with professional writers. The content that they create is meant to be viewed and enjoyed by other dedicated fans who love a specific story and set of characters so much that they will take every opportunity to immerse themselves in that particular world. A good fan fiction writer needs to be willing to fully embrace their source material, rather than using this as a self-indulgent fantasy. Fan fiction is written for the fan community, and so the fan fiction writer must be focused on the needs of others before themselves.

Role-playing

Whether you’re a GM or a player, if you’ve ever done pencil & paper role-playing then you’ve participated in this unique type of storytelling. This is especially true of GMs, who not only come up with the main storyline, but flesh out their game with side-quests, puzzles, and all of the NPCs that the players encounter. Like fan fiction, the GM is constrained/assisted by the existing lore and world building that was done by the original writers. There are also similarities to social writing, since the storytelling process is shared with the players. What sets this type of storytelling apart is the random element introduced by the rolling of dice, which means that all of the players -including the GM- can be surprised at an unexpected outcome. For this reason, a role-playing storyteller needs to be able to think quickly on his feet and be ready to be spontaneously creative, a talent which is largely unnecessary for any other type of storytelling.

Professional Writing

I’ve written enough about professional writing that I don’t really need to give a detailed description here, except to say one thing. This style of writing is very different from every other type that I’ve described, since it’s the only style that is targeted to the paying reader. As a result, the quality of writing needs to be held to a higher standard, which means that as much time is spent in the revision process as the initial first draft, if not more. This isn’t to say that professional writers are better than any other kind of storyteller, just that the needs and requirements for their style of writing is different. A skilled role-player may not be able to do professional writing, just as a professional writer might struggle with social writing.


Did you find this article helpful? Did you think of any other types of writing that I missed? Leave a comment below and don’t forget to check out my other articles on the craft of writing.

The Top Ten Worst Reasons to Write A Novel

10. “I can’t handle the rejection in a normal job.”

9. “I want to finance my retirement.”

8. “I’ve always wanted to write an entire book in my own made-up language.”

7. “I love receiving praise from strangers.”

6. “It’s the easiest way to kill people I don’t like.”

5. “I need something to do during video game load screens.”

4. “I want to see how many times I can use the word ‘actually’ in a 300-page story.

3. “The world needs to be able to buy my Twilight/My Little Pony crossover fan fiction.”

2. “I want something to do before bed, and I hate to read.”

1. “How hard can it be?”