Casual or Expert Rule Followers?

Commentary 2 Minutes

Ah,
all of you Wordsmiths.

You may be driven to repeat the likes of Byron, Poe, King, and so many others.

English (and US) rules are carefully taught at various levels.

Editors live and die by the rules of Grammar, they might say.

I have Casual Grammar rules, which can be bent to fit the mood of the story.

But, surely the interest in a writing is not just for the rules.

What about the story?  The characters?  The love interests?

Isn’t perfection worth irritating everyone around you?
Afterall, Perfectionists are needed in every walk of life, but don’t you find them just a bit irritating?

Did you correct your friend twice yesterday?  Come on, be honest.
Ooop, more than one of you reading this laughed at yourself.

There is an excellent article on Grammar and falsehoods at:
https://lithub.com/grammar-purity-is-one-big-ponzi-scheme/
by June Casagrande.

I highly recommend it!

The discussion following is quite animated and impressive by an array of Grammar Experts.

But, you probably have noticed, I am not much of rule follower.
That is not a fault of my education, I have had excellent teachers.

It is more the way I am wired.
I am somewhere between ee cummings and Stephen King.
(note, I did not say I am worthy of either one, just between)

But, how many of us are Expert with the rules?

Indeed, I frequently use commas as breath marks to pause a readers passage, to elicit
the feeling of space and time, just like in Music.  My dialogue will invariably repeat the accents and grammar usage I hear in my mind.  Yes, I hear voices in my head.

I could never elevate myself to someone as eloquent as Edgar Alan Poe.  Nor would I try.

Have you ever had Mental Constipation?

“How do I begin?”
“Can I stick to my outline?”
“What will they think when they read this?”
“Is it THAT or WHICH?”
“I cannot get another C.  I have to get an A+.”

I can certainly be criticized for my mistakes.

But, my internal wiring dictates I am eclectic, true to me, and determined to find interesting people in the world to listen to.

Even if those same people are not perfect.

Rule Followers unite, but let me walk by myself.

 

 

Published by ramblingsfromanunpavedmind

I embrace an eclectic life, tastes, and friends. I love to listen to people - to induce speaking of their past. Sometimes, their voices end in my writing. For grammar perfectionists, allow me to apologize in advance, as I write for the casual reader, not the professional. My passions include my family, music, working in electronics, mechanics, stone, and concrete. Better to know a little bit about everything than everything about one thing. Quote from Pascal.

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