I’ve been all over the world and I’ve never seen a statue of a critic.
“Are you sure my writing isn’t bad, Rose?”
An editing client asked me this recently.
I’ve often thought the same about my prose.
But responded that “bad” writing doesn’t exist (see parallels to Devon Price’s “Laziness Does Not Exist”)
After 18 years of grading college students’ papers and publishing articles and books, I say this with certainty.
“Bad” writing — which often slips into becoming a “bad” writer — is a useless phrase. The word tells you nothing about the writing itself. Does it sound elegant to my ear, but not to someone else’s? What happens if the writing is subjectively beautiful but full of grammatical errors? What if someone’s first language isn’t English and the way they write isn’t strictly “correct” but is so unusual it captures your attention?
The phrase “bad writing” is meaningless.
Consider this one-star review of Toni Morrison’s Beloved:
I can honestly say that I hated this book. The writing style Toni Morrison used is just blatantly confusing and boring. I found myself falling asleep before I could get past 10 pages of this book.
Or consider British newspaper The Observer’s initial review of Harry Potter:
These are one-dimensional children’s books, Disney cartoons written in words, no more.
I’m not saying you can sit down without ever having written fiction, for example, and pen a compelling book tomorrow. Most people will write a sh***y first draft even if they’re a critically acclaimed literary fiction writer. They revise and work at their craft.
But even if these writers follow the rules, they can still write a clunker. Why? Did they suddenly become bad writers?
No.
As a writer, accept there are certain factors under your control, such as practicing your craft, receiving targeted feedback, revising, and knowing when to ship. Then there are the factors not under your control.
Why does it even matter?
It matters because the fear of bad writing creeps in at every stage of the writing process. Drafting, revising, and publishing. Even if you overcome the fear when drafting, it surges up again when you revise.
If you think you’re a bad writer, it is difficult to publish anything. How do you grapple with the fear of being bad? I have no idea.
If you ask, however, whether your characters are engaging, then that’s a helpful question.
If you ask whether your prose is too wordy (as mine is), then that’s a helpful question.
But bad? That will just send you down a rabbit hole with your inner critic chasing you from behind.
So let’s leave bad writing behind and dive into the various reasons why someone else (or you) might not respond well to a particular book or article.
I urge you to stick these notes somewhere you’ll see them regularly. The next time your inner critic yammers away, you can quiet them down with these reminders.
1. Timeliness
Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.
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Read a ‘classic’ book, or even read a 1930s mystery. Notice how its tone, pacing, and description differ from a modern book. These books are slower and more descriptive.
Some of these books might have been blockbusters of their time, but most of us would set them down within the first three pages if we read them today. It’s all a matter of timing.
Take a recent example. Consider an article written about how Donald Trump could become president, written in 2001. The article would have fallen flat then. But now, we’d look back and want to read it. Time and place matter.
Perhaps you’re ahead of your time.
How to solve this problem:
There’s little you need to do to solve this problem, unless it is important to you that your newspaper article is timely, for example.
If you’re writing fiction like it’s the 1930s, then make sure you’re reading contemporary fiction. Attention spans are getting shorter. Or perhaps we’re so distracted you must fight harder to entertain us. Either way, you must adapt if your goal is to sell books.
2. Audience
When you’re different, sometimes you don’t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn’t.
― Jodi Picoult, Change of Heart
Feedback does not tell you about you. It tells you about the person giving the feedback.
Is Fifty Shades of Gray bad writing? It depends on how you measure it.
As of 2014, E. L. James sold over 100 million copies of the trilogy.
How about Dan Brown, whose prose is scorned as “ham-fisted”?
He’s laughing all the way to the bank.
What do these two authors share? No, it’s not bad writing. They’ve both found their audience. People who will voraciously consume anything they’ve written.
If you’ve ever written genre fiction, you know how this appears in reviews. For example, if a reader who primarily enjoys romance reads your mystery novel, they’ll write a review that says they might have enjoyed the book had there been more romance. Maybe they’ll give it three stars.
Do you care? No, you don’t. Because this person isn’t your reader. Your book is for mystery readers.
In the case of non-fiction, I edit academic journal articles. Some of the most highly acclaimed academic articles couldn’t possibly get the general population to read the first paragraph, much less understand what they’re saying. If they submit that article to The Atlantic, it will get turned down. Was there something wrong with it? No. It was the wrong audience.
How to solve this problem:
As painful as it is, read the criticism of your book or article. What does the criticism (or praise) tell you about the writer of the critique? Are they upset that your romance lacks action-packed sequences? Are they saying your article has too much jargon?
If you’re receiving consistent feedback that says you’re not reaching your audience, then consider (a) the placement of your piece, and (b) marketing, including the importance of a book cover in fiction, which signals genre.
3. Tone
I’m not talking about tone-policing, which is people with power controlling the voice of those they have a hand in oppressing. I’m talking about the tone as it relates to your audience’s expectations.
For example, are you using humor to write about a sensitive, raw topic? Perhaps your humor will fall flat, not because you’re not a humorous writer, but because you selected the wrong tone for the piece.
This applies to all kinds of writing, including email. Consider a student email I received when I was a professor:
“Hey prof — Can I have an extension until tomorrow? Thanks.”
And the student sent the email at 6 pm the night before the paper was due. Definitely the wrong tone!
How to solve this problem:
Again, consider the feedback you’ve received. If you’ve written a sweet, clean romance but sprinkled swear words throughout the text, then perhaps you should go back to the drawing board.
Most of the time, this problem can be solved by revising your piece and even using online grammar programs to check for tone.
4. Polishing
The only kind of writing is rewriting.
Secure writers don’t sell first drafts. They patiently rewrite until the script is as director-ready, as actor-ready as possible. Unfinished work invites tampering, while polished, mature work seals its integrity.
― Robert McKee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
Writing is a practice, one that you do over and over. Can we say it’s more polished? Yes. Can we say it’s more concise? Yes. Can we say it’s more engaging? Yes.
But good or bad? No.
Why not? I’m not a moral relativist. Nor am I of the school where no one receives thoughtful, supportive, and constructive feedback.
The question is, when do you stop revising and editing? When do you stop polishing?
If you send it out too soon, people will complain about mechanics. If you edit the soul out of it, people will complain the writing is lifeless.
How to solve this problem:
Consider the two meanings of “polish.” One is to polish silver, to make it shine. I consider this the revision stage, where you make difficult choices about what to cut and what to keep.
The other meaning is to polish one’s nails. This is the final stage, where you put the finishing touches on your manuscript.
5. How You Define Success
If you’re going to hold someone down you’re going to have to hold on by the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own repression.
— Toni Morrison
People may say you’re a bad writer. You may think you’re a bad writer. And where does that get you? Absolutely nowhere.
On top of the other factors listed, people may not understand your version of success (or you’re not clear on it yourself). You may make a living as a writer, but friends and family don’t understand why you’re not a household name. Do you care? You’re making a living as a writer!
Or, you may sell many books but are upset you haven’t won a literary prize. Was that your definition of success in the first place? Perhaps you started writing as therapy. Maybe that’s enough.
Don’t let others, especially critics, define your writing successes. You do that for yourself.
How to solve this problem:
Join author communities that are supportive, not harsh and critical. Check out people like Michael Anderle and others who support authors in reaching their goals, whatever they may be.
The Bottom Line
The next time someone rants about “bad writing” or “bad writers” — either in person, online, or in your head — ask these questions:
- Is my writing paced for modern readers?
- Am I writing for the right audience? Am I reaching the right audience?
- Is my tone right for the publication and audience?
- Can I improve specific aspects of my craft? Can I polish my writing so it shines? Can I ask for help to do this?
- Am I caught up in someone else’s definition of writing success? What’s my definition of writing success? How will I know when I’ve reached it?
Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.
Dr. Rose Ernst is an academic editor and consultant who supports scholars in sharing their brilliance with the world. Find her at roseernst.net. Sign up for her email list here.
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This post was previously published on The Writing Cooperative and is republished here with permission from the author.
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