I think I scared a writers’ magazine editor today with my talk about anarchy in the world of grammar. Sensing that I may be ready to destroy the publication’s office, he backed down from a request for me to write a column for the magazine.
C’mon! Grammar is not dangerous — unless it’s handled by an amateur writer. In fact, grammar may improve the amateur’s standing in the world of words. Consider how many bookstores shy away from “self published” books because they have seen a few books which are 1) badly written, 2) ungrammatical, 3) terribly punctuated, and 4) unstructured. Now, many book buyers paint all independently published writers with the same brush. A pity!
Everyone has a story (my long-standing belief). And now “everyone” is writing their story — many without any idea at all about the nuances of writing. “Put it on paper and it’s a book!” Not necessarily true. But hold onto your seats, fellow writers, “everyone-writing” is the way of the future. I say, “Great!” Perhaps the trend will lead us to become more discerning readers.
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