Sarah Kosalos

Why is Good Writing Important?

Email and texting increased the need for good writing skills. They brought
communication to a global scale. The experts agree. A rise in skill is needed with the rise
in demand. First, I will gather why they say these skills are important, what I believe is
good writing, and where my skills are.

Katherine Hanson's "Writing Skills: More Important Than Ever On the Job,"
notes the higher you rise in a field the more writing required. In startling contrast,
roughly one third of US workers fail to meet the writing requirement of their position.
The demand for these skills is so high that to properly train everyone would require $3.1
billion annually. (Hanson n.d.) Rick Suttle's "Importance of Writing Skills in Business"
clearly conveys that these skills are worth investment. The ability to communicate
effectively cannot be underestimated. It saves employees and employers time as less
mistakes will be made and final outcomes accurate. (Suttle n.d.)

What Do I Think Makes Good Writing?

Good writing tells a complete story. Nothing is as annoying as finding a riveting

tale only to have a plot hole or a missing ending. This is why I really enjoy the posts on
TheBloggess.com. Often her stories contain speech from Victor and herself that could be
stopped halfway through or only have one quote or two posted. It would still be rather
funny and carry a decent amount of the content depending on which phrase is chosen.
Instead the author shows an entire conversation which gives a much richer view. Another
factor in good writing is solid examples. If something is stated to be large, how would I
know how large unless an example is added in? Manageyourwriting.com is a prime
example. Kenneth Davis writes in a concise style. As I delved into reading his pieces, I
understood a block of text was unneeded. When an idea can easily be conveyed in a
paragraph why create an essay? I enjoyed the blog entry Davis made about Hoover's
miscommunication on borders. The tale led to an insightful conclusion on clarity:
 Sarah Kosalos

"...watch your borders--not the physical margins of your printed documents, but the much
more important and elusive borders between your reader's understanding and
misunderstanding." (Davis 2012) The Huffington Post is a successful news blog. What
are they doing right? The entries are concise, but descriptive. Length doesn't determine
quality. By being selective with wording, engaging works are created in digestible
portions.

Self Assessment:

I am a student and fulfill the requirement for the position. However, I want to
graduate and find employment. I feel I am not yet at the writing skills needed for that
environment. I am not discouraged because I have the means to improve. Several of my
strengths are stable voice and tone which makes it more compelling for the reader. I can
also tend to be too informal. A common pit fall is repetition in ideas and words. Also, I
have been striving to improve my grammar and spelling which has always been a
weakened area.

Goals:

1. To be more concise and avoid repetition.

2. To strive for excellent grammar and spelling.

3. Find strategies to keep my tone from becoming too informal.

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