linguistics - Pure verbal nouns/deverbal nouns vs. gerunds


This is a follow-up to a previous question which I am still trying to understand. I think I'm making progress in my understanding, but I would appreciate feedback to help me refine my thinking. Here is the sentence:



Good writing requires hard work.



Originally, I thought that "writing" was acting as a gerund in this phrase. After reading through the replies to that question along with back posts related to gerunds, I've since concluded that "writing" in this sentence is a pure verbal noun, also termed a deverbal noun.


My reasoning?


—In the sentence above "writing" is modified by "good" and is thus acting more like a noun than a verb.
—It has no direct object.


Is my thinking correct here? If not, could someone politely help me to refine it?


However, what if I had written the following?



Writing well requires hard work.
or
To write well requires hard work.



In these examples, I'm thinking that "writing" would be a different kind of verbal noun—a non-finite verb acting as a gerund or infinitive, which is one piece of a larger complement noun clause.


The last bit is muddy for me, but I will leave it at that. Thank you in advance for your patience and insight.




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