I can’t adhere to practices I don’t believe in or support. Right or wrong, I have to understand something to invest in it. And I don’t necessarily mean I have to understand the technical aspects—more like the logic of it, the reason for it.
I love good grammar. Having loved my English and Literature classes above all others, I even enjoyed diagramming sentences. However, people don’t often speak well. Many of today’s young people haven’t learned good grammar and speak accordingly. It’s a shame.
If you’re a writer, you know dialogue must be realistic, and, depending upon your standards, your characters will speak like real people. They will use contractions and adverbs and adjectives and slang and shortened phrases. I indicate cussing without directly quoting it because I don’t want to read it in my fiction.
Oftentimes when a first draft is written, dialogue can come out stiff for some people. No contractions, unrealistic, almost a formal ring to it. And let’s not forget our overuse of “that”. Nearly every new writer infuses their stories with a surplus of the “that” word.
I like a lot of visuals in stories along with the appeal to the senses. Impressions and thoughts and actions all contribute to a heightened experience for me as a reader. And not only in metaphors but with real descriptions, sometimes told, sometimes shown. Not everything can be captured in action and dialogue. I don’t think adjectives and adverbs are the scourge of writing.
I also don’t have a problem with the “he said, she said” quietly, softly, shouted, yelled, answered, indicated, etcetera. If someone says, “Shut up!” or “Shut up.” I want to know whether or not they’re being sarcastic, screaming, or seething. Not every situation is clear without descriptive information even with character and scene knowledge.
As a reader, I didn’t used to like first person POV, but I read some very good novels written in it, and then I finally wrote one using primarily first person with a touch of second person and the minority in third person POV. In my second novel I began the book with an omniscient POV drifting into third person as the story progressed. And if a writer switches POV effectively within the story, it provides variety—effectively being the operative word.
So when these previously mentioned methods are proclaimed as “poor” writing, it baffles me. So many of the tools add flavor, originality, and just plain entertainment. I guess I would define good writing as using all available designs to suit each story. Take chances and maximize creativity without attempting to show off skills you might not have.
I paid my dues and learned the supposed “rules of writing”. Now I know and choose when I decide to break them to avoid monotony in expression and style. So yammer all you want about “show, don’t tell”, adverbs, and the rest of it. Some of them make zero sense to me. So . . . no can do.
Father, you help me, you support me, you forgive me, you love me. You are perfect. I am not. Please continue to guide me in all I do so I can serve you the way you want to be served. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
*Please continue to pray for Kristy Dykes and her family.*