Quality of Writing

I’ve checked out ST’s latest online portal – STOMP a couple of times ‘cos i was curious about what their “starbloggers” write about… and unfortunately, the stuff they write are boring. The topics are really serious and… i guess it’s easier to write meaningful stuff when u write things you want to express your views on, rather than issues that you’re made to write on. That’s like going back to school and writing compositions for your English lesson right?

Anyway, one of the starbloggers is called Xiaxue. I think she’s pretty well-known, though i don’t understand why. She’s been mentioned on the papers a couple of times but… her writing sucks! I checked out her blog and she’s trying to potray this “i’m famous ‘cos i dare to express my views” persona… but… but… she doesn’t have any views at all! I read somewhere that she used to be an SPH intern and i was mightily surprised ‘cos her writing is horrid! It’s not about writing in Singlish, or being prim & proper in your writing… her writing has no style & no coherence whatsoever! Why the heck is she famous? She has several product endorsement deals as well… which is something i don’t get either. I thought only beautiful people get to be models? Slim, goodlooking, nice features…? Since when did ugly become hip?

Ok… so i’m being bitchy. But it’s true!! Anyway, there is a blog that… erm, i won’t ask people to read ‘cos it’s kind of racy but the author’s writing is good. The blog’s known as “A Babe in Toyland“. The author language’s beautiful, and her vocab is fantastic! (Best language used amongst all the blogs i’ve seen so far). Other blogs that i like are in my blogroll, special mention goes to “Hair on the Soap” for the author’s strong views on various social-political issues (though i don’t necessarily agree with all of them), “Domestic Un-Goddess” for her rants on domestic life, and “Tales from the Emergency Room” for the interesting stories from a doc’s point of view.

Somehow i can’t quite explain what makes good writing. It’s not about using bombastic words. Simple language can be beautiful & moving too. Perhaps it’s the sincerity that goes behind each piece. But one thing i do know is that bad writing irks me. Irritates the shit out of me (speaking of which… i suspect i have haemorrhoids).

I was flipping through a recent issue of the Highway magazine when i just couldn’t make myself continue ‘cos the writing was REALLY REALLY bad. There wasn’t any major grammatical mistakes… but i did note a distinct lack of punctuation. Sometimes, the author also didn’t seem to know what he wanted to say & ended up rambling on and on. Make your point man. I can’t stand people who write with no sincerity. Just like cooking. Must “have lurve”.

Okie… that’s enough banal rants for tonight. Better go sleep so i can pursue more anal issues tomorrow.

5 Responses to “Quality of Writing”


  1. 1 cLaiRe

    Quality of writing is about as subjective as it can get. And these 2 days I have been getting so much shit from my manager on rewriting my work that I am all about to throw in the towel. So as I was saying, there is no one size fits all, and obviously people like Xiaxue fits many and it may have nothing to do with writing style at all. And such is life…shallowness and mundaness always overule intellect and individualism by overwhelming majority. And we live in a world who thrives on mediocrity, people rather watch amateurs on Singapore Idol than listen to super-power professional vocals. What more can I say?

  2. 2 uptowngal

    Hello! I always check to see who are the people reading my blog and i’ve got a couple of overseas visitors… been wondering who’s the person logging in from San Jose… now i know. Wahaha. Eh, don’t be too stressed about work lah. When’s the next time u’ll be back in SG? I’m supposed to arrange an OG meet-up but haven’t had the time.

    Now that i know the San Jose visitor… i’m curious who’s the one logging in from UA Emirates!!

  3. 3 yan

    I heard Xiaxue’s the most well-known blogger in S’pore. Out of curiosity, I went hunting for her blog a month ago. Was really, extremely shocked by her “colourful” language. What annoys me is that she can’t accept criticisms. If she sees my comment bout her not being able to accept criticisms… she’ll “dedicate” an entry to me. Or perhaps she’ll skin me alive.

  4. 4 uptowngal

    Hehe… i totally agree with u. 😛

    Honestly, if someone criticises what i write, of ‘cos it’ll hurt my pride a little lah. But i think it’s important to reflect… if the person is right, then i’m willing to stand corrected. If it’s just a different point of view, i’m also happy to publish it online ‘cos i think we’re all entitled to our opinions, as long as it’s a reasonable one. But if it’s someone just making unjustified attack on what i say, then i’ll definitely shoot that person back (if it’s worth it), or if the comments are too stupid, then i’ll just not bother. Heh.

  5. 5 izzati

    Nicely written piece 🙂 I hate xiaxue she sucks!

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