A Writer Speaks

What makes a good writer? I ponder this daily. Not only for myself, but when thinking of the content I spend my time reading over as well. In short, a good writer is someone who expresses themselves in a way that is easy to follow, no ridiculous, over the top antics that make a reader say huh? Too much. A good writer is someone who does not write to demean, ridicule, lecture, but rather they share, provoke, excite, and therefore resonate with their audience. Writing is hard sometimes. It is not an easy task to put together words in a systematic, yet approachable way. You want your audience to read along with you and hear the words just as much as they read them. This can easily be flubbed or turned upside down.

One of my favorite quotes is etched into a beautiful pen box my aunt and uncle gave to me when I graduated with my bachelors and says, "A writer must write what he has to say, not speak it"-Ernest Hemingway.

This quote? One that I have said time and time again to myself. Ironic? Thank you Sir Hemingway per usual. The words in this sentence though, are so right on. A writer writes, that is what by title and definition they do. Right, wrong, indifferent from anyone else's thoughts, a writer shares thoughts through his craft. If you do this, I believe the rest that may come with the territory of defining yourself as a writer will follow. You then make up the rules the rest of the way you go. Except grammar. We should all follow proper grammar! Just kiddin'! (See what I did there?)