Solid writing is real, and the readers can feel it. It's real to them because it was to you when you wrote it. It has fire and impetus because when you wrote it, you felt like your heart was bleeding out onto the page. You might have been embarrassed, you might have been ashamed, but it was real, and when you read it, you tingle with goose-flesh. Solid writing is good writing, and good writing makes great writing.
Writing is much the same.
It requires certain tools, and the best one you have rests between your ears. Writing requires a sharp, inquisitive mind. The best thing you can do for your writing is to never stop asking questions. It doesn't matter if they seem silly, or that the answers make you feel foolish. If you never ask the questions, you'll never get the answers.