David J
Many people for years have lived with the dangerous philosophy that some people are just born good writers (Parott,71). This Dangerous philosophy leads writers to not apply themselves and the adoption of poor writing strategies, due to these writers believing they are born either having the skills or they do not having them. This statement, however, could not be further from the truth. People who are great writers have a great writing process and are constantly trying ways to try to become a better writer. John Goins states in his blog post “The Difference Between Good Writers & Bad Writers”, “Good writers practice. They take time to write, crafting and editing a piece until it’s just right. They spend hours and days, just revising”(Goins, 1). Anyone who uses the proper writing processes, practices, and does not fear failure, can become a good writer.
For someone to get anywhere close to being a good writer, they need to be taught correctly how to develop a writing process. The key to developing an effective writing process is developing a sense of metacognition. This process allows for the writer to be able to self-critique themselves, learn from their mistakes and write better in the future. Jill Parrott states in her essay “Some People Are Just Born Good Writers”, “Opening up cognitive space that allows for metacognition and reflection is essential to experiential and practical improvement” (Parrot,73). The process of metacognition also greatly helps you understand how valuable experience is for your writing and helps steer u away from the false belief that people are born good writers (Parrot, 73).
Good Writers are constantly building experience by practicing and refining their writing strategies and processes. Learning these processes are not everything, writers must still maintain an excellent work ethic to build their writing skills as well. Goins says in his article in reference to good writers, “They’re resigned to the fact that first drafts suck and that the true mark of a champion is a commitment to the craft. It’s not about writing in spurts of inspiration. It’s about doing the work, day-in and day-out.” (Goins, 1). Good writers are like athletes in a way when it comes to working on their craft. Parrot as well even states in comparison to athletes that” A person may not be naturally strong, but how could they gain strength? Lift weights. Need more flexibility and balance? Practice yoga. Likewise, it is with writing” (Parrott, 74). Good writers are always motivated to practice and work on their craft.
Bad writers often are very unmotivated to work on their craft. This lack of motivation comes from the fear of putting in the work and not reaping immediate benefits. These writers are terrified of critique, failure, and change but must not fear these things to stay on the path of becoming a good writer. Goins states in his blog “Good writers aren’t perfectionists, but they’ve learned the discipline of shipping, of putting their work out there for the world to see”, to explain the positive thought process (Goins, 1). Writers must internalize this thought process, or they may never become a good writer. When internalized the mindset allows for writers to have an even better work ethic when practicing their writing strategies.
People who would like to become a good writer in the future should adopt a good writing process and a fearless work ethic as soon as possible. When younger students are in school, they are often taught these key writing values and is important that they internalize these values to exceed in life their life aspirations. Language and writing is everywhere around us so it is important to develop good ideas about writing.
Citation
Goins, Jeff.Goinswriter.com. The Difference Between Good Writers & Bad Writers. https://goinswriter.com/the-difference-between-good-writers-and-bad-writers-2/
Parrott,Jill.Some People Are Just Born Good Writers. Bad Ideas About Writing. https://textbooks.lib.wvu.edu/badideas/badideasaboutwriting-book.pdf