My goal for this paper was to allow my readers to understand the true meaning of "good writing".

That everyone is entitled to their own opinion on what that really means. We are all born with the ability to come up with our own opinions, and therefore we use those thoughts in order to back up what we believe is "good" or "bad". I referred to discourse communities as my main source because in each community there are specific rules and preferences as to what "good writing" is. It is hard for people in a discourse community to come up with their identity and to explore amongst their taste in different types of writing. I used my imagination in some parts of this paper, because I think I was able to tie myself into my paper more that way. I'm not worried about people disagreeing with this paper, because I believe it can be thought out in many different ways. It is for the public-eye and I hope my readers will get different things out of it than I thought was possible. I think if I had more time, I would've interviewed a handful of my classmates in order to get more of a feedback on what they really think about "good writing". I used this paper as my re-write because I believe that I didnt include a main point of what good writing is. This is that good writing can be based on the type of situation a writer is in. A writer has to be able to adjust to certain discourse communities. Being able to adjust your writing style, makes you a good writer.

Good Writing
Everyone is born with a mind of their own, and everyone has the ability to think and feel the way that they desire. Are you someone that uses that ability to set your opinions apart from everyone elses? Do you focus on what you like and what you are interested in when reading and writing? Some of us learn to have certain preconceptions of writing, and are taught to have a certain view on what good writing is. However, others consider what good writing is based on their own opinions and their enjoyment of certain types of writing. Good writing can depend on what discourse community one may be apart of, and based on public ideas. Depending on the situation the writer is in, and the adjustment they may have to face, clarifying the meaning of good writing can be one tough task. Many people seem to expect writing to adhere to a set of rules. Those rules, however, often differ depending on the discourse communities people belong to. A discourse community is a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated (Porter, 91). In other words, it is a group

of writers that choose to write about a common interest or subject, or even a group of people that study the same things. These communities share assumptions about what objects are appropriate for examination and discussion...and what conventions are followed (Porter, 92). Discourse communities follow certain regulations, and depending on which community it is, good writing is defined differently based on the common set goals. Some discourse communities such as, the scientific community, the medical profession,and justice community are firmly established. In these communities, the system establishes limits and regularities...who may speak, what may be spoken, and how it is to be spoken...what is true and false, what is reasonable and what foolish, what is meant and what is not (Leitch,145). One must follow these regulations in order for their writing to be considered good writing. In a community, one must agree with what should be said, what it should mean, and what is correct. Discourse communities dont always agree with each other. The rules differentiate in more ways than one. Good writing in a chemistry discourse community can be considered bad to an english discourse community. This ties into the belief that everyones view of good writing is affected by those that you follow, and those that you are writing for. Each community is writing for a certain audience and have to focus their good writing on those people. Being in a discourse community, one doesnt necessarily have to worry about their writing and how its going to effect people outside of their community. This is because people stick to their own community and to what they are interested in reading and writing. A Discourse is a sort of identity kit which comes complete with the appropriate costume and instructions on how to act, talk, and often write, they take on a particular role that others will recognize (Gee, 484) . In a discourse community everyone has to make their own identity. All members of a community follow the same rules. They are made to all talk and write in a way that is recognizable in their specific field of writing or study. Because there are set rules, limits lie within every community.

Good writing doesnt always depend on what discourse community one is in. Most of the time, the reader isnt even in a community and is just reading for pleasure or for a certain task. They dont have certain guidelines that they pay attention to, or have to follow specific rules when writing. They are free-lancers. Their judgement lies in their opinions and what they believe to be correct. This statement goes back to the belief that everyone has the ability to have their own opinions and likings of things in life. This includes writing. Everyone is entitled to like a type of writing and hate another. The world would be a huge, boring place if everyone thought and viewed things the same exact way. Being different and thinking for oneself makes one who they are. Writing isnt any different. We all write for different reasons, and we all like certain types of writing. Disagreements involving writing happen all the time. For instance, Johnny is a senior in high school, and he loves poetry. It is a way for him to put all of his thoughts and feelings onto a page in a way where he can be creative and in control. A lot of people can be confused and lost when reading poetry because authors sometimes make up their own style and put their thoughts together in a way where one may not understand. Poetry can be one huge jig-saw puzzle. One must figure out a way to put the puzzle pieces from their heart together and form an easily readable and understandable piece of writing. That is not an easy task, so some people wouldnt consider poetry to be good writing. It takes someone who enjoys poetry to consider it good. Johnnys friend Paul is obsessed with chemistry. He loves everything about it. All of the elements, all of the experiments, and the interesting, new things he learns every day. Paul reads books and articles filled with information and fun facts all about chemistry. Never does he come across a sappy, heart-felt poem. He considers factual and informative writing good writing. See? Everyone has their own taste in writing. Its sad to say, but a lot of people are followers. They follow what people say and believe instead of coming up with their own thoughts. One may have an opinion about something, but then when they find out about what someone else thinks, their mind completely changes. This is

a reason why people should reconsider their views on good writing. It is possible to disagree with a form of writing and the way it was written, but that doesnt mean that it shouldnt be considered good. There is no reason why any writing should be judged against. No one can help it if a person thinks putting a bunch of random letters on a page good writing. Maybe they want their readers to be able to decipher it and put it into their own words. There are many clever ways people can write, and if they come up with a new and creative way to write, then they deserve a pat on the back. People will always disagree with other people and discourse communities will always disagree with other discourse communities. But what would you rather want, a world where no one expressed their own interests, or a world where everyone acted and thought the same? No matter what changes in the world, a discourse community will always follow their own rules. However, sometimes a writer will go out of the box, find their own identity, and adjust to different discourse communities. We have to realize we can all have common interests and goals, but in some way or another we are all going to think differently. Good writing is based on what you enjoy, what you believe to be good, and what the situations brings. One may have a check-list of what makes writing good, and others may just go with their heart. It is not always based on the literary elements. Writers can surpass the levels of literary elements and still produce good writing. However, there are many people that in their minds, the literary elements are all that counts. Depending on certain situations, writers must learn how to adjust to to the differences of the meanings of good writing in order to accomplish the task at hand. The point is, is that good writing can be a few jumbled up words along a blank page or a long, thought out, informative essay, but its how you adjust to peoples liking and the situation that makes it good.

Works Cited

Gee, James Paul. Writing about Writing: A College Reader Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011.

Leitch, Vincent B. Deconstructive Criticism. New York: Cornell UP, 1983

Porter, James E. Writing about Writing: A College Reader, Intertextuality and the Discourse Community. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011.

Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs. Writing about Writing: A College Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011