I feel a bit self-conscious giving views about writing because so many others do so for a living and because I have taken so much from some very good writers such as Elmore Leonard. But here goes; my take on writing.
Good writing is a way of handling language to convey the author’s intent and gives a clear and pleasing impression to the reader. Good writing is an art form that comes from the passion of doing it. Good writing is an instinctive talent that can be honed and refined, but cannot be brought about in someone simply by instruction. And, there are loads of instructive ideas, rules, suggestions, and directions to be had about the creative process of good writing, both fiction and non-fiction. An innate sense of and appreciation for the language and what it can do is not learned.
Writing well comes from listening and observing, because the best stories are people stories, regardless of the action or setting. What people say and how they behave matter for me. From such information input I can imagine and create how those people think and act.
Folks ask about the so-called “writer’s block,” an issue which I did not have the luxury of succumbing to in the advertising business. I could not allow myself to be “blocked” when there were critical deadlines to meet. Those deadlines helped create a discipline for getting the writing done. One way of working around being stumped is to get some words down on paper and then play with them, edit them, and rework until the string of words sounds right.
No matter how you slice it, writing is hard work; even when it is fun it is hard work.