What Makes Good Writing?

One of the most important qualities of good writing is clarity. If readers cannot understand what it is you are talking about, you have failed as a writer. Our main job is to communicate information in a coherent manner.

Closely related to clarity, conciseness is also important, especially when it comes to writing news. Oftentimes there is limited space for each piece, as well as limited reader attention span. Eliminating unnecessary words and sticking to the point of the story is the best way to ensure the piece is direct and concise.

Good writing needs to answer the facts; the who, why, what, when, where, and how of the event or topic that is being written about need to be identified. While this may seem obvious, failing to include necessary facts can ruin the piece and make it difficult to read and understand.

There are many things that go into good writing. Clarity, conciseness, and being sure to answer the facts are only a few, but they are some of the most important, especially when writing news.