I've been thinking a lot about how much I've written since I started writing 200WordsADay and the progress I've made. But I'm also curious about the benefits writing consistently has for my writing.
I'd like to become a better writer. I'd like to write pieces that move the readers. My grammar could use some improvement too. I use Grammarly a lot to help me become more conscious of common grammatical errors I make and I can see the difference it makes.
So I wonder how can I measure improvement in writing quality? The quality of any piece of writing is subjective and what's considered "good writing" varies from person to person. But we still need some measure to quantify improvement.
Should it be judged by the number of views it gets? Or the number of comments it inspires? Is clickbait good writing because it gets a lot of attention? In some sense it is. It's good for the purpose it was created.
Just like startups, maybe writing needs a clear problem it intends to solve. Journalists seek to shed light on important issues. Poets might be seeking catharsis. Clickbait writers are seeking clicks.
Maybe that's the way we define how much our writing has improved. Start by defining a clear goal for it and then measure how well it achieves that goal. If you write for personal pleasure then as long as you feel satisfied after writing, your job is well done. If you seek to help others, then how many you've helped is how you can measure your success.
So how do you measure progress as a writer? And is it aligned with your goals for writing?
@keenencharles what a good question. I'd been wondering too. I tried an answer recently, my best answer so far for myself. Still figuring out and work-in-progress. But here's what I wrote: "If anything, being able to write in the myriad of ways which makes us human, makes me come alive to my own humanness."
@jasonleow great answer! I think our own answers evolve over time but I'm trying to be more conscious about what it is at present. I don't think I have a clear answer for myself yet but it's meant to be some personal exploration and trying to make sense of the world for me.
@keenencharles yeah agree about personal exploration bit. I think the fact that you're even asking this question is progress in itself!
@keenencharles All good points. The one thing I'll add is that, at its essence, good writing is good communication. So if you can get your point across consistently, whatever it may be, you're a good writer.
How do you measure that? In appreciation.
@gabrielgreco great point Gabriel. It is just a form of communication at the end of the day.