My apologies to Walter Pater. His hard gem-like flame was much more aesthetic and lovely than mine. Mine is more of a welder's flame-- a practical torch.
Let us judge our writing as we would a diamond , a gem both beautiful and useful, as the stone embodies the qualities we want in our writing:
1. Clarity. Ask yourself if your purpose is clear to the reader. Does each sentence make sense grammatically?Is it clear what is happening at each stage of the plot?
2. Color. How's that style? Are your words vivid and sparkling? Have you considered who is reading your work? Does your style suit your audience?
3. Cut. Every subject has potential facets. Have you brought our the most important points and made them stand out? Or have you buried the reader in details that detract from your point?
4. Carat. Larger isn't always better. The most perfect length for a piece of writing is dependent on its purpose. (A novel usually fits comfortably around 200 pages, while a op-ed may only be 500 words.) If you have no unnecessary words, each theme has been explored to a satisfying depth, and there is no repetition, the length is probably correct for the material. If the genre requires a different size, then you may need to adjust the material.
