When we first get into a car to learn to drive, everything is alien and difficult. Yet, within a very short time we find ourselves driving without conscious thought. Learning to write is a similar process - it is something that needs to be practised.

When we write we are simply translating our thoughts into a more tangible format. Those ideas that float in and out of our minds are captured and recorded. It really is as simple as that. The difficulty comes in discerning which thoughts to capture and which to ignore. If your mind is anything like mine, you will possibly not even be aware of many of ideas that flit around your head.

You could probably get as many different definitions of good writing as the number of people you ask. However, a general standard would surely be text that is easy to understand that successfully transmits the intended message.

Writers need to maintain a fine balance between time spent on planning and research and time spent on writing. All writers will have a preference and will need to compensate in the area in which they do not spend sufficient time. Too much of either is not a good thing.

It is because all writers have their own distinctive style that as a species we are blessed with such a rich literary background. New writers are sometimes tempted to emulate the style of a successful writer and whilst I can understand this, I would encourage everyone to have confidence in their own uniqueness.

My definition of good writing is something that makes me think and question any previously held views I may have had on the subject. It is writing that elicits a response in me. I want to have reason to stop and think about the words I am reading. I want the words to tell me something I didn't already know or to provide me with a new angle on my existing experiences.

Time is probably the most valuable commodity we all have and it is something we want to spend wisely. How cheated we feel when we invest time to read but find the words provide no value in return.

We've touched on planning, researching and writing but that is not the end of the matter. A finished piece that a reader will value needs further attention from the much talked about blue pencil. Work that has been edited is always easy to spot simply because the quality is so much higher.

Editing is the fine work that improves a piece of writing. If writing is the preparation with course sandpaper, editing is the finishing with a finer grade - polishes up a mediocre piece of prose and turns it into an heirloom.

You would expect a writer to be enthusiastic about the process of writing. However, I am more than enthusiastic, I am passionate about the written word and the good it can do. Don't under estimate the power of something as simple as a written thank you note, as an example, for it will be treasured far more than a telephone call. Will you pick up your pen and begin to write? I so hope you do.