'Good' and 'Bad' Writing
and the value of self-belief
When re-reading my 2023 roundup to check for typos (my speciality), I noticed this phrase, referencing the novel I’ll be editing for the next few months: “The best novel I’ve ever written.” Writers are not supposed to praise their own work, and it sounds ludicrously pompous out of context.
Why is it “the best”? There are admirable people, including my husband, who don’t indulge in value judgments at all. He'll challenge me if I say something is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in his hearing— ‘good’ writing, a ‘bad’ film. He’s say there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’, only things you like and things you don’t like. Shakespeare agreed, if we take Hamlet’s view as is own: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. I really like this position. Intellectually, I understand we are categorising things based on our own experiences, prejudices and (sometimes… often?) ignorance. But is it possible to teach creative writing (the thing that reliably pays my bills) witho…
