There are elements of writing which make us unique
from one another. The two most important are style and voice. When you are
going for brand, you want to be different, especially when you have a quality
product. No woman wants to show up at the Ball and find another woman wearing
the same dress. You want to stand out and be noticed, because your brand is what
defines you. You might feel differently if you operate in a country which makes
money in the mass production of rubber dog shit.
Grammar
Unlike style and voice, grammar is the one thing where
there is no standing out for the better, only for the worse when you do not
comply. We all need to unite under the same rules which dictate proper grammar.
There’s no doubt I am one of those people who would need to hire an editor to
comb through my writing.
I know what you are thinking: I’m a writer, not an
editor! I say you should learn how to edit. Learn proper grammar. If I were an editor reading gross grammatical
errors in the first pages of a manuscript, I’m going to miss the story. Why? Because I would be horrified at how
much work lies before me in the next 200 pages. Brand is important to your image, but grammar is important to your integrity.
Brand : clothing :: grammar : hygiene
Grace
It is difficult to accept criticism, but if we are to
improve our skills, we have to rely upon our fellow readers and writers to give
the feedback when there is a problem. I have been reading and writing in many
different forums over the past 15 years and I can tell you some of the more
common reactions from writers when they are given negative feedback on their
work. However, I won’t. Why? Because I’m a positive person and I believe in
sharing positive things, with the exception of the big, black woman who beat myass.
Instead, I want to share the most positive reaction
to criticism, and that is grace. Have the grace to accept the criticism. You
are not agreeing with the criticism when you accept it. There is a magical
thing which happens when you accept criticism with grace. You discover a funnel
of information by which you can choose to apply to your future work. Ta da!
This leads to our next topic.
Gratitude
The biggest transformation in me since I’ve been
writing is the gratitude I feel toward my fellow writers. The number of
critiques I have received from both of my writer groups and from those of you
out in the blogosphere have helped me to improve, not only my writing skills,
but also the way in which I share with all of you.
This gratitude I feel is what keeps me contributing
content in this wonderful world we share. And thus was born this idea for a
blog post dealing with the letter “G”.
Grammar is so important! Having said that, if you are writing first person, don't sacrifice your MC's voice to make them be grammatically correct all the time. You can kill the voice that way. You have to know the grammar rules to know when it's okay to break them. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree here. I also do not like to read proper grammar in dialogue. It makes the characters sound forced and fake.
DeleteGrammar is important, but since my college emphasis was on poetry, I learned a lot of naughty things that were explained away as poetic license. I wanted one of those licenses more than any other license. I wanted to break the writing rules and be creative. Does that make me bad? I don't think so, but editors, agents and some publishers don't like it. Many of these people rejecting me were born after I went to college. I earned my license by stacking up my rejection letters and working on my grammatical issues one day at a time.
ReplyDeleteOne of the people in my writing group is a professional copy editor and I rely on her heavily to point out my grammatical errors. :D
DeleteI think today there is more of a desire for artistic content. I love Edgar Allan Poe, but if modern day editors were to edit his work, I don't think I'd love his work as much. There is a distinct voice and style you should never remove, and that is an author's artistic expression. Readers may forgive it moreso than editors and agents. I'll read my Poe works over anything produced today.
I totally do rely on kindness of other people for feedback. I always try to remember that I asked for their opinion and so I better be decent about when they give it. Grace is a biggie for me!
ReplyDeleteFor me too. The first time someone told me they didn't like something I created, I was devastated. Today, I wish I had not taken it so personally. :)
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly with this. You can have great writing, but if it's poor with grammar, a lot of people won't understand how you want your work to be conveyed. If you're constantly spelling things wrong and not using your punctuation right, it won't sound the same to someone else. There are some things that are really important in writing. This would be in the top three, in my opinion. Also grace in knowing what works and what doesn't, will help you greatly as a writer too. If you don't know, or don't want to know, you won't get better.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If improvement is your goal, then knowledge has to be welcome. You're only going to gain the knowledge from the people trying to help you.
DeleteAlso, I'm considering taking another grammar course just as a refresher and because I would like to know if there are any trends or rule changes since I'd been in school.
Bad grammar can seriously jar you out of the story. That being said, a writer can get away with it if that's how the character talks- slang or broken English. I'm trying to get better at accepting criticism but I have to admit, it still makes me a little grumpy.
ReplyDeleteThe more criticism you take in, the better you will become at using the information to your advantage. :)
DeleteExcellent advice, Diane. I owe much to the people in the critique groups who read my work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenny! I accept your positive feedback. :)
DeleteIt's hard to accept criticism and that's something I need to work on. I am grateful to anyone who reads my blog and takes the time to comment (thanks Diane).
ReplyDeleteIt does get easier to accept criticism, Deb. I like to incorporate changes when more than one person notices and points out a problematic area. When I see the change helps, it makes me feel better to the point I'm actually excited about it.
DeleteI agree! These are such important "G's" in writing and, really, in life.
ReplyDeleteI'm super grateful to the other writers I've met through forums, blogging, etc. for their encouragement and honesty. Iron sharpens iron! When I surround myself with other writers I find that my own writing improves.
I improve as well when I'm around other writers, Jen. :)
DeleteI find I learn a lot by reading the critiques of other peoples work. It's easier to not take it personal since it isn't directed at you, but there's normally a concept that I can apply to my own work.
ReplyDeleteI've been accused of being a grammar nazi before, but I think it's such an important tool to have in your toolbox. I think the assumption that it's "the editor's job" to worry about grammar gets a lot of manuscripts rejected. While it's true that the odd typo won't get your stuff sent back, evidence that you are lacking a solid foundation in grammar absolutely will. I've never understood those unwilling to self-improve for the sake of their art.
ReplyDeleteAnd the rest of the post is spot on as well! It can be tough to respond gracefully to criticism sometimes (especially when that might mean not responding at all), but it never helps to react with vitriol. Thick skin and humility are so important.
And gratitude speaks for itself! I've learned so much from fellow writers willing to pay forward the bits of knowledge and experience they've picked up over the years. The writing community has been a godsend. I couldn't be ungrateful if I tried.
Great post!
Thanks, JW! I appreciate your feedback. You've obviously had a similar journey.
Delete"I couldn't be ungrateful if I tried."
AMEN!
So, so true, Diane. Glad you touched on those 3 Gs. I'm grateful for many, many people in the writing community. Definitely grateful for Alex J. for the IWSG. Grateful for people like JW Alden, Charity, Viklit, etc. for always being so supportive....grateful for you for always being supportive and for always teaching me something new with your posts!
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you, Randi!! I'm always happy to share as much as I can.
Delete