“Well-written” is one of the most reliable compliments a piece of writing can receive. It appears in reviews, in feedback, in the recommendations readers pass along to each other. This is well-written. The phrase carries genuine praise — the person using it means something positive, something admiring. They are not being vague on purpose.

And yet “well-written” is, as a description, almost entirely empty. It tells us that the reader responded positively to the writing. It tells us nothing about what the writing actually did.

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