The Six Traits of Effective Writing

How do you tell if writing is good or not? Is it fun to read? Does it keep you interested? Is it well organized?

The six-traits of effective writing are the key characteristics of good writing. Learning the six traits will help you figure out what makes some writing good and some writing in need of more work. The traits give you the tools to improve your own writing and will help you give great feedback when you read other writers' work.

What Are the Six Traits?

	Ideas Good writing has clear ideas, a purpose, or focus. It should have specific ideas and details.
	Organization Writing should have a beginning, middle, and an ending and be well organized and easy to follow.
	Voice Your writing should connect with your audience, fit your purpose for writing, and reveal your voice.

	Word Choice Good writing has specific nouns and verbs and strong words that deliver the writer's message.
	Sentence Fluency Sentences should vary in length, with a variety of sentence beginnings. The writing should flow smoothly from sentence to sentence.
	Conventions Strong writing is edited for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling so the writer's ideas easily understood.

Want to Learn More? Check out this tutorial to learn more about the keys to good writing.