Aspiring and experienced Writers' discussion thread

[Iroscato]

What then makes a writer good? I find I can't go by popularity, even though most writers who write for publication want that name recognition and big advances. Take Stephen King. He has a big name. I read just one of his novels and for the life of me could not figure out what the hype was all about. Commercial fiction has no excuse for being that bad.

As a writer, I want to write quality stuff that does not disappoint even the most discriminant read. If some big house wants to give me a 5 million dollar advanced royalty, I wouldn't turn it down, but I won't write junk just because that's what the publishers are looking for.

Some of the most important things for me is creativity, the ability to transport you to the scene they're describing, characters you bond with with and root for until the end, and a healthy smattering of plot twists. Humour is definitely important for me also.

It's often subjective anyway. Just write with what you feel most confident with, and never write anything that feels cold and forced.