You know it when you see it. It isn’t that hard to tell whether a piece of writing is good or bad. You just have to read it. But things get more challenging if you have to explain why it's good. Even harder than that is analyzing the good things a writer is doing so you can learn to use his or her techniques in your own work. And teaching others how to use them is the hardest of all but that, of course, is exactly what we need to be able to do. Having simple phrases to describe the good things writers do makes learning about those things easier. Good writing has: Ideas that are interesting and important. Ideas are the heart of the piece — what the writer is writing about and the information he or she chooses to write about it. Organization that is logical and effective. Organization refers to the order of ideas and the way the writer moves from one idea to the next. Voice that is individual and appropriate. Voice is how the writing feels to someone when they read it. Is it formal or casual? Is it friendly and inviting or reserved and standoffish? Voice is the expression of the writer's personality through words. Word Choice that is specific and memorable. Good writing uses just the right words to say just the right things. Sentence Fluency that is smooth and expressive. Fluent sentences are easy to understand and fun to read with expression. Conventions that are correct and communicative. Conventions are the ways we all agree to use punctuation, spelling, grammar, and other things that make writing consistent and easy to read.