As I was writing a brief review of Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style", I began articulating what my current ideas on what good writing consists in. I haven't thought about it for about 20 years. I realized that it had change since then.
Good writing is about empathy. You have a message you want to share with an audience. You imagine how your audience would like to hear it. You imagine yourself as the audience. You adapt your communication style for that audience.
Audience is the most important consideration when writing. Audience determines the writing style, vocabulary, word usage, and even grammar. We do this out of respect and empathy for the audience. You must change your regular vocabulary, spelling, or grammar so that your audience will listen, you do it, even if it breaks the conventions of common academic English.
Good writing keeps your audience focused on your message. Anything that distracts the audience from your message is a problem with your writing.
Genres and conventions help audiences to know what to expect. Priests should talk like priests. Rappers should talk like rappers. Historical fiction shouldn't have laser guns that come out of nowhere. Political commentary shouldn't break into poetry. Convention breaking pulls away from the message.
Failing to meet the audience expectations is how they get distracted. Common examples of these distractions are misspellings or grammar mistakes. Word usage can be distracting for some, when used in the wrong context. Breaking a genre convention, if not done correctly or deliberately, will be confusing and distracting. Once distracted it is hard for the audience to focus again on the message. Be empathetic: the audience is already giving their time to listen to what you have to say. Don't distract them.
You want to develop the skills to write in common English so that people can focus on your message. Many will get distracted if they run into "incorrect English." People who disagree with your message will point out mistakes to distract others. These distractions often become attacks on your intelligence, your education, and your social class. Be empathetic with the rest of the audience and with yourself. Avoid this scenario in the first place. Run the spell and grammar check to avoid the biggest mistakes. Put down your draft and review it the next day.
Logical organization parallel sentences, and unambigous sentences help people understand you.
Good writing is about empathy. It is having empathy towards your audience and yourself. Although the last century has focused so much about how writing is the ultimately individual act, its ultimate purpose is to share with others. It is through sharing our opinions how we help to shape others; and through others sharing their opinions how they help to shape us. Writing is the ultimate communal act.
May your good writing help create a better world.