by Eldred “Bob” Bird

I love perusing the Twitterverse for writing questions. One caught my eye recently and set my brain buzzing. The question was, “What separates a good writer from a great writer?” Interesting question, right? While I’ve studied countless authors and attended a ton of classes and seminars, I’ve never really looked at it from this angle before.

As I read through the responses to the question, I quickly realized there are no hard and fast criteria for good writing verses great writing.  Where we draw that line and what it takes to cross over the threshold are subjective at best. Still, I found myself settling on a few key points that seemed to resonate with a large percentage of the writing community, and with me.

Here are a few of the most popular traits according to the Twitter writing community.

Plot

Plot is an obvious place to start, and a lot of respondents agreed. As readers, we like it when we’re surprised. Unexpected twists and turns can push a good story to the next level, especially when they make us suck in a deep breath and say, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming!”

Good authors may have a solid plot and execute it well, but the great writers push things to the next level. They can take an otherwise normal chain of events and turn it on its head.

Great writers also know how to keep these hits coming without “jumping the shark,” so to speak. They know just how far they can push things without losing the reader.

Characters

The next most popular response was around character development. One of the best ways to pull a reader into a story is with characters they can relate to. Let’s face it, if we don’t connect with the characters, we aren’t going to care about what happens to them. That can render even the best plots moot.

Great writers create characters we understand and bond with on an emotional level. Their characters have depth and a certain familiarity. We may see people we know in them, or more often, ourselves. Even the worst of the villains have at least one redeeming quality we can sympathize with. Sometimes a really great writer will almost have me rooting for the bad guy!

Voice

When it comes to separating the good from the great, voice is high on my list. It’s possibly the single most distinguishing trait a writer can possess. A writer’s voice is like their literary fingerprint. With time and practice we all tend to develop our own unique writing style. The voice of a great writer can be just as recognizable as the playing style of a great musician.

Just as great musicians can alter their style to fit a particular piece of music, great writers will often alter their voice to fit a different genre or point of view. Like a chameleon, they are able to shift the color and tone of their voice to match the narrative.

For example, a third person narrative will have a different voice than one with a first-person point of view.

First-person POV requires the writer to live in the skin of the character telling the story and writing in that character’s voice, rather than their own. Multi-POV stories take things a step further. It takes a great writer to pull off a multi-POV story with different narrators successfully and not lose the reader in the process.

Editing

Many people in the writing community said great writers owe their success to great editors. I agree wholeheartedly. The right editors can take a manuscript from good to great…if we’re willing to listen to their input. I’ve met some writers who feel they are good enough that they don’t need outside help. They are wrong.

If we want our writing to improve, we need other sets of eyes to point out the issues in our own writing that we’ve become blind to. If you can’t afford a topnotch editor right away, at the very least join a critique group or round up some beta readers. Getting feedback from other writers can help you fill the holes and smooth out the bumps that are keeping you from rising to the next level.

Honorable Mentions

There were hundreds of responses to the Twitter post, far too many to cover here, but here are a few more that caught my eye.

“Passion. A writer who lacks passion can only ever just be good. Greatness requires passion.”

“Dedication, truly hard work, commitment. ‘Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration,’ said Thomas Edison.”

“They continue learning with each book. You can tell when a writer decides they don't need to learn anymore.”

“Great writers are willing to leave a little piece of themselves behind on every page.”

Final Thoughts

Like I said at the beginning of this article, trying to nail down the elements that take a writer from good to great are highly subjective. What one person considers a great work of art another might find a mediocre effort. It all comes down to personal preference.

Unfortunately, there is no magic formula that will catapult us to the top of the bestseller list, but if we concentrate on the small details that separate us from the crowd and build strong words and ideas on that foundation, we all have the potential to achieve greatness in the eyes of our readers.

What do you think separates a good writer from a great writer?

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About Bob

Eldred Bird writes contemporary fiction, short stories, and personal essays. He has spent a great deal of time exploring the deserts, forests, and deep canyons inside his home state of Arizona. His James McCarthy adventures, Killing Karma, Catching Karma, and Cold Karma, reflect this love of the Grand Canyon State even as his character solves mysteries amidst danger. Eldred explores the boundaries of short fiction in his stories, The Waking Room, Treble in Paradise: A Tale of Sax and Violins, and The Smell of Fear.

When he’s not writing, Eldred spends time cycling, hiking, and juggling (yes, juggling…bowling balls and 21-inch knives).

His passion for photography allows him to record his travels. He can be found on Twitter or Facebook, or at his website.

Top Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

by Kris Maze

Most writers struggle to find enough time to get all their projects accomplished. Adding other author related tasks can eat away at precious writing time, regardless of your writing style or organization skills level. Whether your plotlines must be prefect before you begin a story or you’re a seat-of-your-pants pantser, all writers can benefit from taking a solid moment to reflect on their past year. 

2022 brought us more changes to the writing industry, but it hasn’t changed the need for storytelling. Storytelling and crafting good tales to tell will always be at the heart of why we write, but the passion for writing can fizzle out without reflection and iteration. 

Invest in your writing by figuring out what went well in your writing this year and consider these suggestions to plan for a successful 2023.

Writing Craft – Educate Yourself

I attended a writing conference years ago and heard a keynote speech by Garth Stein, the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain. The audience of aspiring authors wanted to know his secret for success. During a Q and A session they asked for his biggest recommendation.  He replied, in a word, craft.  Know your craft. Learn your craft. Be the best writer you can be. Wise words.

I took an immersion class this summer with an NYT historical romance writer, and asked her this same question. “What should a writer do to improve and find success?” She told me that she spent five years going to every class and seminar she could, then read and applied everything possible on craft and the good mechanics of writing. 

She invested and poured herself into learning and it has enabled her current work with a large publisher. Last time I heard, she was researching for a novel set in Paris. 

Ah, now that’s a writer’s life I could envision for myself. Where would your writing life take you?  How can you invest in your writing skills?

• Take a class – we offer posts by many wonderful teachers here at WITS. Try a class by one of our writer-teachers.
• Find a regional or local writing organization
• Join a critique group online or genre specific Facebook group
• Find a reading club at your local library
• Attend open mic nights and read your best poetry attempts
• Audit a class at a community college
• Try a writing coach
• Learn more about editing and craft through books and webinars

Improving one's writing craft is a lifelong journey of growth. As we sharpen the tools of the trade, we become better writers that readers appreciate. Try finding a writing class and see how you improve this year.

Writing Time – Get the Words on the Page

There are many ways to stay true to the muse and most of them involve keeping a writing schedule.  Here are some popular ways to keep you building a mighty writing habit.

• Pomodoro method & timers
• Accountability partners
• Keep a paper or digital calendar
• Set a writing routine but mix it up if you need to.
• Set a writing goal based on something you usually don’t measure. Daily word count, minutes writing, times you sit at your writing desk to write. See which one helps you be a more productive writer.
• Stuck in your writing routine? Try a new location. Or put up a new inspiration in your writing space to focus on.

Which of these methods have you used last year? How did those impact your writing? Which would you change or add to your routine in 2023?

Getting words on the page is fundamental to building a writing career. See where your writing routine can take you next year.

Writing Process – Examine Your Writing Systems

Writing a book and getting it into the world is typically a slow, but reward process. A process filled with potholes and squeaky wheels, some may say, but somehow a book must go from concept to story and finally to a finished product. And that process is often messy.

If you haven’t examined how to take a story through the stages of writing, this may help you save time.  Here are some things to think about may help you design a writing process that suits your needs better.

• How many steps do you have in your writing process?
• What was the most difficult part of writing for you last year?
• What did you excel at last year?
• Which steps can you get extra help for? Should you hire out help for some steps? 
• Where do you submit your finished work?
• Where do you intend to submit work next year?
• How did that go this last year?
• What are you proud of?
• What changes would you make?

If you want a better writerly year in 2023, consider examining your writing from an overarching view. Taking a look at your system as a big picture can identify places where your writing process is frustrating or inefficient. Taking time to address any concerns you find could alleviate stressors and allow you to focus on your writing more.

Examine your writing process at the end of this year and reflect on how you can make it a smoother, more enjoyable experience.

Writing Business – The Authorpreneur in You

How do you organize the tools you use for your writing? What are you paying for? What value do you get from these services and products?

Consider keeping a spreadsheet or digital list with links for all the tools you may use in a given writing year.  Keep track of what you pay for and don’t.  This can save you time if you include your writing expenses in taxes. It can also help you keep track of when expenses occur and planning for those yearly or monthly costs.

Seeing your bottom line can be discouraging, or it can feed your writing career decisions.  Knowledge is power, the old after-school-special-commercials used to say, let it inform your decisions this year.

• Word processing (Microsoft 365, Scrivener, Google docs, etc)
• Spreadsheets or other organization online tools,
• Writing Tools and Subscriptions (One Stop for Writers, Writing classes, Resource books)
• Website hosting and related costs (spam blockers, domain names, site security)
• Email list companies (Mailchimp, Mailerlite, etc)
• Sharing Systems for Arcs, Sales, Email building (Bookfunnel, BookBaby, etc)
• Publishing costs (various from Lulu, Publish Drive, Smashwords, ISBNS, etc)
• Ads and promotions (Facebook, Goodreads. etc)
• Social media (Canva, photo sites, Hootsuite, Buffer, etc)

While keeping track of all the tools and their costs can be tedious, it provides writers with valuable information. This can remind you to use the tools you have to make your writing process easier. It can also help you identify what products you actually use versus those that aren't as practical for your writing style.

Take a deep dive into the products help make your writing process work.

Writing Satisfaction – A Quality Writing Life is a Wonderful Thing

Ultimately, we write because we can’t contain the stories within us. Writers are built to share words with the world and when we don’t we are miserable. It’s a true mark of a writer. More than books finished, books sold, amount of followers, or NYT status.  Pay attention to how satisfied you are with your writing and it will continue to be a positive outlet in your life.

Reflect on your writing life last year. What did you appreciate about being a writer? What would you prefer to not repeat again? Start fresh in 2023 with a new outlook if needed, but don’t forget to celebrate the work you did finish.

• Which stories did you complete?
• What new writing habits did you begin?
• What goals did you accomplish? 
• Which new goals will you set?
• What new craft did you apply in your work?
• How did you use new technology (if any) this year?
• Which publications or awards did you obtain?
• What writing conferences or classes did you attend?
• What new writing connections did you make?
• Who are new writing companions that you met this year?

Writing without personal connection becomes a chore, in my opinion. Without an end goal writing becomes a vague travelogue of my thoughts. Writing without care to craft becomes a drudgery of bad sentences.

Simply put, a writing life without reflection can be less rewarding for you and me. Iterating parts of your writing process can alleviate some stress and allow you to focus more on the creative side of writing. Consider joining me in the spirit of my annual writerly overview and celebrate your successes from 2022.

Every day is a new start, a wise fellow writer shared with me, and it has made a difference. When I get upset or uncertain in my writing, I remind myself to get up and do it all over again the next day. And that makes me smile on the inside. Because I can get up and write again. And that’s truly a joy. 

Here’s to capturing your writer joy in 2023, my writing friends! Cheers!

About Kris

Kris Maze is an author, writing coach, and teacher. She has worked in education for many years and writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and the award-winning blog Writers in the Storm where she is also a host. You can find her horror stories and young adult writing at her website. Keep up with future projects and events by subscribing to her newsletter.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, playing violin and piano, and spending time outdoors.

And occasionally, she dabbles in drawings.

by Ellen Buikema

Magical Realism portrays the real world with a hint of fantasy. By not recognizing the magical aspects as supernatural, these elements become normal. For the characters, there’s nothing surprising about it.

The Beginnings of Magical Realism

Some say that the genre began in 1920s Germany in painting such as Beach of Dangast with Flying Boat by artist Franz Radziwill. Others suggest that Magical Realism began far earlier.

Author Gabriel García Márquez explained that Magical Realism arose from tales told to children by the Grandmothers as if the events really happened, because the Grandmothers believed they did.

Márquez was raised by his maternal grandparents in Colombia. His grandmother’s belief in magic, superstition, and spirits carries on in his stories.

“The narrator doesn’t get upset when out-of-this-world things happen, nor does he dismiss them or try to explain them. That would be considered disrespectful to the Grandmothers. Instead, he allows the reader to inhabit the expansive possibilities but doesn’t directly state his beliefs about it. It can feel like those dreams where you think: “I knew I could fly,” and the mornings after in which you might be inclined to try. And perhaps, like the supposed rapturous, levitating nuns, you can.” GG Márquez

Writing a successful Magical Realism story requires an understanding of the difference between Magical Realism and fantasy.

Fantasy VS Magical Realism

• Fantasy stories are set in fictional worlds, whereas Magical Realism stories are set in our world.
• Magical Realism stories focus on more everyday issues and concerns. Fantasy often involve a hero’s journey to save the world or special someone from a great evil.
• Fantasy stories often rely on supernatural elements. Magical Realism use some of these elements, woven together so well that they're considered normal by the characters.

Include Subtle Magical Elements

Subtle supernatural happenings add to many parts of the story. This includes the development of the characters, narrative, and creation of conflict.

Deciding how these supernatural elements weave into your story is important. You’ll need to figure out why they occur in your story.

Magical elements should be purposeful. Figuring out how and why they belong helps with their role in the plot.

Magical Realism in fiction

When you think of Magical Realism, consider Latin American writers like Isabel Allende. American authors Aimee Bender, Paul Yoon, and Alice Hoffman, or Japanese magical realist Haruki Murakami may come to mind.

Gabriel García Márquez is credited with reinvigorating Latin American writing. In his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, he stated that “he was just writing the world as he saw it, that he wasn’t trying to embellish.” In this story, ghosts are seamlessly worked into the everyday world as well as odd details like a rain that lasts almost five years.

As a foodie, I very much enjoy the magical realism that reflect the emotions of the characters in Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate . The protagonist cooks meals that cause those who eat them to feel what she feels. When she is sad, they are sad. When she is feeling amorous while cooking, it’s a love fest for all.

In Aimee Bender’s The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, she stated, “the main character develops a ‘power’ to taste the emotional life of the cook in the food she’s eating.”

You can steep your story with these types of reflective events.

Other examples of the genre in fiction are:

• Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
• Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
• The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Elements Common in Magical Realism

These include:

• Focus on the everyday: Magical realism often focuses on day-to-day life and issues. This grounds the story in reality and makes the magical elements surprising to the reader when introduced.
• Use a realistic setting: The setting is often based on an actual location, or modeled on one, with buildings and people you might see anywhere.
• Sense of the unsettling: Magical Realism frequently uses elements that are strange. This can be done through descriptions of otherworldly creatures or abilities.
• Blended use: A creature may have both human and animal characteristics. An object can have mundane as well as magical uses.
• Use a non-linear structure: The story may not carry on in a linear fashion, and may be experienced on repeat, or twisted like a Mobius strip. Think an Escher staircase, but as a timeline. There can be great shifts.
  • A moment can be made to feel like 100 years, or vice versa.
  • The story can progress without the use of flashbacks or flash forwards.

With these elements in mind, you can write a Magical Realism story that will hook and enthrall your readers.

What stories do you enjoy that use Magical Realism? If you were to write in this genre, which magical elements would you chose and why?

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About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents and a series of chapter books for children with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works In Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and Crystal Memories, YA paranormal fantasy.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Image by ThePixelman from Pixabay