Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. You know what that means! It's time to let our insecurities hang out. Yep, it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. If you're a writer at any stage of career, I highly recommend this blog hop as a way to connect with other writers for support, sympathy, ideas, and networking. If you're a reader, it's a great way to peek behind the curtain of a writing life.
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the September 4 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!
September 4 question - Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?
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Overall, I've been able to separate lessons meant to apply to academic essay writing from my fiction writing life. I have a tendency to use "good grammar" even in more casual writing, but that's not all bad.
I do remember being told I couldn't start sentences with conjunctions. And that's something I do all the time now.
I was also advised to write in full sentences and eschew fragments. Don't really do that either.
Joking aside, I really don't spend a lot of time angst-ing over grammar. I make up words. I mix up phrases. Perfect correctness isn't necessarily right when the writing is art--fiction, poetry, plays. What matters is taking the reader with you on the journey and using words to elicit the effect you're after.
Words are fun and stringing them together in unique ways? Even better!
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(BTW, FYI writer friends: I'm scheduling this post ahead of time because I won't be available on IWSG day--I'll still pop by and visit all your blogs as soon as I can! Thanks so much for stopping by mine)
I was taught both of those things, too. And now I constantly ignore those lessons. My writing's better for it, though. I think. :)
ReplyDeleteLove that Joan Didion quote.
I love that one, too.
DeleteIncomplete sentences - I embrace them now!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteI remember being told those things too. Yup, totally threw them out the window when writing.
ReplyDeleteThere are rules for essays that just make fiction sound stiff.
DeleteWhen it comes to writing characters, the grammar and style need to change accordingly. Finding comfort in breaking the rules is a good sign.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Though I still think it's a good idea to know the rules and have reasons why you're breaking them, rather than just being sloppy.
DeleteI like using fragments in my writing. I think it stresses my point when I have one. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt can. I've had one-word paragraphs. Really shows the importance of that word.
DeleteI love the concept of making up words. And thanks for the Joan Didion quote!
ReplyDeleteAll words were made up sometime, right? So why stop there?
Delete