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One thing that separates writing apart from many other fields is how easy it is for non-professionals to determine when it's done well. In fact, the definition

One thing that separates writing apart from many other fields is how easy it is for non-professionals to determine when it's done well. In fact, the definition of good writing basically is whether or not it has the intended impact on its audience. If you are moved, the writing is good. This is in contrast with other fields where "goodness" also requires other longer-term less tangible goals that are invisible to non-professionals. If a program does what you want right now, it may still not be made of good code because it can be hard to maintain, or fail catastrophically in edge cases or otherwise lack in ways that aren't immediately obvious. You can be a poor chef who makes tasty food if your personality causes high staff turnover or your ingredient choices and pricing kill your profitability, all of which is hidden from the diner. But the point of writing is to get an idea lodged in someone's head as effectively as possible, and we're pretty good at evaluating whether that's happened. The only case where it can clearly break down is journalism where the ideas you transmit must be factual in ways that require external validation. A compelling news story that is false may be good "writing" at some level, but isn't good journalism.

cloudier 7y ago
I see, thanks for the clarification. I agree that coding has long-term intangible goals that are difficult for a non-professional for to evaluate, and it makes sense that this isn’t something that people face in many writing-focused professions. How do you evaluate and improve your own writing? Is this something that requires simply seeing the reactions of other people, or is it something you are able to simulate in your head? I think the reason why I thought it would be hard for other people to evaluate writing skills, is that I find it hard to tell when my own explanations are easy for other people to understand.

cloudier 7y ago

I see, thanks for the clarification. I agree that coding has long-term intangible goals that are difficult for a non-professional for to evaluate, and it makes sense that this isn’t something that people face in many writing-focused professions. How do you evaluate and improve your own writing? Is this something that requires simply seeing the reactions of other people, or is it something you are able to simulate in your head? I think the reason why I thought it would be hard for other people to evaluate writing skills, is that I find it hard to tell when my own explanations are easy for other people to understand.