In a recent post, Janice Hardy offers advice on avoiding “bad” writing. “We writers notice bad writing far more easily than readers, because we know the rules,” she says. “Readers don’t care how the sausage is made as long as it tastes good. And ‘good’ is very subjective.” In other words, a story readers like is – by their definition – well written, regardless of the quality of its craft. And this can be a little depressing for we who take our writing seriously and strive for high quality work.
However, most people agree that anything that causes your reader to stop reading would qualify as “bad writing.” This might include bland characters, slow pacing, errors and typos, and on and on.
Hardy advises against trying to create the “perfect” book because 1 – you can’t; and 2 – no book appeals to every reader. Do your best writing to your own satisfaction and let your readers decide if it’s good enough for them. But, you can still avoid writing that throws your reader out of your story. Hardy says the following elements are often more important to the reader than technical skill:
- A fantastic story. “Offer a compelling tale with lots of unpredictable story questions that need answers, and readers will usually enjoy the book,” Hardy says.
- Resonance. “If the characters and story resonate with readers, and they lose themselves in that world and that character’s problems, they’ll love our book,” Hardy writes. Escapism counts for a lot!
- Reader engagement. This can take many forms, from providing a puzzle to solve or characters to love or an intriguing fantasy world.
“Do all three of these things at once, and the odds of a book clicking with readers and taking off go way up,” Hardy says. “Bad writing might hurt a book, but bad storytelling will kill it. Make sure you’re focusing on the right thing to best serve your novel.”
