Oh So Simpatico!

Bad writing.  It's enough to make your head spin.  We have all probably been guilty of it at one time or another in our writing lives.  So what?s the best way to avoid bad writing?  Read it!

?Bubba, why you going to store and why won?t you take me with you because you know I want to go.?  I said to Bubba.   He ignored me as usual, that?s the type of person him is.  He doesn?t think about me but he wants me to help him in all kindsa stuff.  Because he do not know me really he just think he do.  I walked to the stove; and then I lighted the light under the stove.?

That is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, an absolutely horrible passage.  The spelling, the punctuation, the grammar?it all sounds rather absurd, especially when read aloud.  Did you get that same flush of embarrassment that enveloped me as I wrote this dribble to demonstrate what truly bad writing reads like?  Surely this is not the sort of writing that you want to emulate.  Naturally, you want to avoid this.

You need to develop an excellent ear for what sounds, well, right.  When you know what works, chances are you will begin to emulate it.  This is not to say that you should take poetic license and border on the precariously dangerous verge of plagiarism (think James Frey, ?A Million Little Pieces,? and the public humiliation that was the end result of that fiasco).  Think more along the lines of clarity.  The work should make sense, and not read like it was written by a second grader. 

Recognize great writing for what it is.  Compare it to bad prose and it becomes crystal clear.  No one wants to purposely be guilty of bad writing.  And, more importantly, no one wants to read that very bad writing.  Reading good writing will go a long way in helping you become a better writer.