Can a well-written story be boring? What defines "well written"? If you follow every rule of grammar perfectly does that make it a well-written story? If a story is all show and no tell, does that make it well-written?
If a story holds your interest and you care about what happens to the characters, does THAT make it well-written, even if the grammar and punctuation are not perfect?
Is well-written, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder?
What defines "well written"?
Personally, I think each reader applies their personal definition of the term. Some of the items I include are: grammar, lack of typos, stray or inappropriate words left in sentences or word order confusing, words omitted from sentences, changing speakers without identifying the speaker changed and who is now speaking, character development, plot development, and others.
Much of that list applies to my definition of well-written, although I'd exclude character development and plot development.
If a reader can effortlessly follow the story, without having to keep stopping to try to work out who's saying or doing what to whom, I'd call it well-written even if it's a boring piece of bloat.
ETA that's my definition for SOL purposes, corresponding to the 'Technical Quality' aspect of the Plot, Technical Quality, Appeal trio.
AJ
Much of that list applies to my definition of well-written, although I'd exclude character development and plot development.
If a reader can effortlessly follow the story, without having to keep stopping to try to work out who's saying or doing what to whom, I'd call it well-written even if it's a boring piece of bloat.
If you exclude character development and plot development, is there a story to follow?
If you exclude character development and plot development, is there a story to follow?
It could be a stroke story (no plot or character development), literary fiction (no plot development) or flash (no character development) ;-)
AJ
If a reader can effortlessly follow the story, without having to keep stopping to try to work out who's saying or doing what to whom, I'd call it well-written even if it's a boring piece of bloat.
Sorry, but pacing, editing, Prose and the ability to write believable descriptions are ALL a part of something being considered well-written. If something is a 'boring piece of bloat', that tends to lesson it's 'well-roundedness'.
The SOL 'technical skill' rating is something else entirely, as the majority of TOP Stories are based solely on popular topics, not the authors' quality of prose.
Sorry, but pacing, editing, Prose and the ability to write believable descriptions are ALL a part of something being considered well-written.
Not in the context of SOL :-(
AJ
Not in the context of SOL :-(
Why? Do you consider SOL authors sub-par by definition? There are multiple very good authors on SOL that write 'well-written' stories, even some excellent authors.
Do you consider SOL authors sub-par by definition?
No. As I explained earlier, in the context of SOL I regard well-written to correlate with technical quality. In a thread some years back I asked whether criteria like pacing, continuity errors etc should be included in Technical Quality and the response was overwhelmingly negative. So I consider them in the context of Appeal.
AJ
I regard well-written to correlate with technical quality.
It's not only technical quality. The others you mentioned (pacing, continuity, ...) can also make or break a story and as such are part of a well-written story. Appeal is personal so it can't be an objective part of what is a well-written story.
pacing, continuity
I forgot. I asked whether characterisation should be considered in Technical Quality but the response was negative so I lump that in with Appeal too.
I apply considerations differently outside SOL, when I'm editing other authors' stories for example.
AJ
I forgot. I asked whether characterisation should be considered in Technical Quality but the response was negative so I lump that in with Appeal too.
"characterization" can apply to many different things, however Character Development is more concerned with back story and exposition, no matter where it appears in the story. But, a story without character development tends to run aground pretty quickly, as one-dimensional characters get pretty boring (hence many SOL stories dumping a new girl in each chapter, to keep the excitement going).
Character Development is more concerned with back story and exposition, no matter where it appears in the story
For novel length and longer stories, it should also include personal growth of the characters over the course of the story.
No. As I explained earlier, in the context of SOL I regard well-written to correlate with technical quality. In a thread some years back I asked whether criteria like pacing, continuity errors etc should be included in Technical Quality and the response was overwhelmingly negative. So I consider them in the context of Appeal.
Those are the components of the SOL ratings, which you'll notice have largely been abandoned anyway.
It's based on the fact that SOL story ratings are more often based on sexual kinks than they are on literary quality. However, you can't confuse "popular" or "highly rated" with "well-written", as those are vastly different criteria.
Something that's well-written flows naturally, and pulls you along like a gentle stream, regardless of the actual contents, plot of subject matter. It's a distinction of beauty, on genre of sexual affiliation. And has little to nothing to do with punctuation, though more to do with grammar (take Kafka's 1916 Metamorphosis for example, which had almost NO punctuation at all, but is still beautifully written. How else do you explain an international best seller supposedly written by a cockroach leaping from key to key?)
Well-written has nothing whatever to do with 'properly' written. Following the rules of grammar doesn't indicate how well the story flows, a story's pacing or how well the story is crafter. Those are two separate things.
You occasionally hit slow passages in any story, that's just the nature of storytelling. But how an author handles them says a lot about the author. Whether he keeps questions open, whether he jumps back and forth between scenes, or employs multiple motives for the various characters—thereby keeping everyone guessing—are all hallmarks of experience, but again, aren't guarantees that a story works every time.
But, just because an author knows when to dot an eye or where the commas go doesn't mean a story either works or is 'well-written' or not.
If you sit in a well and write it, it is well written.
Likewise, if you write in the bathroom, at least part of the time, then your writing it, by definition, written amongst shit!
Well-written has nothing whatever to do with 'properly' written. Following the rules of grammar doesn't indicate how well the story flows, a story's pacing or how well the story is crafter. Those are two separate things.
I disagree with the first part of your statement. "Properly" written is well-written. It can be a well-written lousy story.
But I agree with the second part, except I would categorize it as story telling. If you want to call it "well-written story telling" I'd be okay with that since the alternative is verbal story telling.
If you view the reader comments following stories that allow such, you'll see that "well-written" is indeed in the eye of the beholder.
Apparently, it is possible to have half your audience love the story, and the other half saying "what a bunch of garbage".
Trying to read between the lines of the comments, I suspect that the second group simply lacks imagination or empathy. They are incapable of "seeing" what the author (and other readers) see. I believe those mental attributes are being bred or educated out of recent generations. TV as a babysitter may have something to do with it.
TV as a babysitter may have something to do with it.
It's a bit worse than that. Many of them have replaced normal social interaction with social media interactions. Put them in a room devoid of phones, and other electronics, and they are lost.
I consider well written, when I come to the end of a story and want to read more about the characters adventures. It is even better when I feel the same way after reading the story for the 3rd or more times.
For examples: Kalliste, Dawnwalker, Gunny & Lennore, Blue Beauty, Firestar, Runaway Train... to name just a few
Cheers
