Good WritingEducators in English-speaking countries have developed a set of bas

Good Writing
    What is good writing? Different cultures using different languages may come up with very different answers to the question. Indeed, even different individuals may have different standards, tastes and expectations. However, as far as English is concerned, a set of basic characteristics, which are believed to be present in all good writing, have been promoted by educators in English-speaking countries. (1) They are; unity, coherence, emphasis, development and clarity. While these good old values are still relevant, today’s discussion of good writing focuses on a different set of concepts. I’ll define good writing using different terms; good writing is good thinking; good writing involves thoughtful revision; good writing is directed toward an audience; good writing achieves a clear purpose; good writing expresses ideas clearly.
    Firstly, good writing is good thinking. Good thinking leads to good writing, and muddy thinking can only result in muddy writing. As simple as that. Writing is a thinking process; it is not making a big deal out of nothing. (2) Good writing should be substantive, really having things to say. Not only having things to say, but also having insightful things to say about the topic. This concept is particularly important for you non-native speakers of English. You may tend to be overly concerned with being correct in grammar, spelling and mechanics. While good writing is expected to be free from grammatical and other errors, it is worth repeating here that (3) good writing is not good grammar or vice versa. At the advanced level, you should be much more concerned with higher and more important issues of writing in English. If you were excited at all by a piece of writing, most likely, it was for one or a combination of the following reasons;
    1) because (4) it enlightens you or sheds light on the subject:
    2) because you have felt something similar but in a rather vague and superficial way;
    3) because (5) you have felt exactly the same. but have never been able to express yourself in such an effective and elegant manner.
    Secondly, good writing involves thoughtful revision. Although there are geniuses who are such inspired writers that they can produce great writings at the spur of the moment without having to revise as much as one word, such geniuses are few and far between. For the overwhelming majority of writers, good writing is ninety-nine percent hard work and one percent inspiration. Experienced writers subject their writings to numerous revisions before feeling satisfied. Lu Xun.the greatest modern Chinese writer, for example, talks about pacing pensively in the study for days searching for the right word.
    Thirdly, good writing is directed toward an audience. Notice the use of the word " audience" here: it usually refers to viewers and listeners, but now its reference has expanded to include readers, too, particularly in discussions of writing. You should remember that what is appropriate for one kind of audience may not be appropriate for another. (7-2) The intended audience determines your choice of words, your sentence length and patterns, the overall tone, the details that would be included in your writing, etc.
    Fourthly, (8) good writing achieves a clear purpose. Good writing must achieve your intended purpose. If you want to write about how to make Jiaozi, your reader, after reading your writing, should get everything he or she needs to know about how to make Jiaozi, from the necessary ingredients to step by step instructions. If your purpose is to convey the sublime and soul-awakening beauty of the morning sun bursting out of the horizon in the misty Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, you should describe it in such a way that your readers should be able to visualize the scenery. If you want to propose that China adopt a legal drinking age, you should make it clear to the People’s Congress why such a law is necessary, what it should be, how to implement such a law, and so forth.
    Last but not least, good writing expresses ideas clearly. (9) Good writing reflects good thinking, and good thinking needs to be put in precise, concise, and lucid prose. An important task for revision is to trim all the deadwood, pruning all the redundancies, wordiness, and confusing and misleading ambiguities. (10) For non-native speakers, to express yourself clearly often involves making your writing more idiomatic, reducing the level of negative interference of your native language and to bring your writing closer to English-speaking readers. Only when you can write clearly can you begin to think of developing a distinctive style. What kind of style you should develop or use depends on your temperament, your needs, and such controlling factors as the subject you are writing about, the audience you are writing to, and the purpose you want to achieve. One style may be appropriate for certain occasions but totally inappropriate for others. You would feel totally out of place if you go to a casual gathering of old friends dressed in expensive suit and tie, unless you want to appear snobbish and showy. How about going to a concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in the elegant Grand Capital Arts Center in loosely fit T-shirt and jeans?
    So far, we have discussed five characteristics of good writing. In later lectures, you will learn in greater detail about how to write to different audiences to achieve specific purposes in clear and effective styles.