Elementary English – ENG 001 VU

LECTURE 3
QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITERS

1. Be considerate for your readers.

For example, compare the following two pieces and see which reflects writers’ sense of
consideration.
• We do not have enough fuel to reach Portland. When we land at Sioux City we hope to
take on more fuel, which will take about an hour.”
• We are encountering 90-mile-an hour headwinds. This wind and our full load mean that
we are using more fuel than usual. Consequently, we are diverting to Sioux City, North
Dakota, to top up the fuel tanks as a safety precaution. Refueling in Sioux City will take
about one hour. I apologize for the unavoidable delay. Thank you.”

1. Investigation:
A good writer is highly investigative in his approach. He seeks to find out at minimum the answers
to the following questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How

2. Dream and reality:

A good writer knows the communication reality. He strongly believes that a message sent is not a
message received. A message’s success depends upon the fulfillment of the following points:

Social Contact The persons who are communicating have to be in touch with each
other

Common Medium Both parties must share a common language or means of

communication.

Transmission The message has to be imparted clearly.

Understanding The message has to be received, properly understood and interpreted

Probably the specialist was a dream writer; that’s why, his message failed.

Plumber (wrote): Sir, Hydrochloric acid is good for cleaning out clogged drains.
Specialist (responded): The efficiency of HCL is indisputable, but the corrosive residue is
incompatible with metallic permanence.
Plumber (rewrote): Thank you for appreciation.
Specialist (re-stressed): We cannot assume responsibility for the production of toxic and
noxious residue with hydrochloric acid, and suggest you use an alternative
procedure.
Plumber: Again Thanked.
Specialist (in desperation): Don’t use hydrochloric acid. It eats hell out of the pipes.

3. Know internal biases and shape perceptions:

They try to find the resistance of their readers. For this they collect all information about their
readers and then prepare a game plan.

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Elementary English – ENG 001 VU

4. Persuasive:
Good writers are strong communicators. They have the art of strong oral and written communication
skills. They use the rhetorical devices to exhibit standard behavior to influence their readers. They
know that all readers want strong ethics and morality on the part of the writer, cooperation,
goodwill, efficiency, trust etc. and, they exhibit the same virtues.

5. Knowledge of medium:
Good writers use their medium: language in the most effective manner and according to the
reception level of their readers.

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