(no subject)
there are things as a writer which bug me
and one of which is the complete inability to actually teach the science of the language
now not to toot my own bugle but I have a masters in english, focussing on english language and composition. I know this shit because I studied it.
But here's the thing, it wasn't until I was doing my A=levels that someone bothered to explain at any point who to format a sentence, how paragraphing worked.
They were so busy trying to teach me the symbolism of shakespeare and stuff like that that there was never any by the way this is how it works lessons, you just got marked down if you got it wrong.
So when I'm reading fic, published or fanfic, and there is a mistake I don't immediately jump down the author's throat about it, I get that "Morrison" hand wave and complain about the education system.
I think it's why the English speaking nations are so crap at learning languages, because all of a sudden we're being asked to recognise pluperfect verbs in the transitive form when even the words in our own language sound like gobbledygook.
Seriously I had a bachelors degree before I understood Subject object verb orders, and then I was working with German when it clicked.
And so I get frustrated, because I do think it's important, in many ways although writing is an art it's like sitting down with an artist and showing them what the tools are for. Words aren't our tools, they're our palatte, but grammar and punctuation are our tools. We use them to manipulate words to create effect, that effect is what gives the reader a sense of pleasure. And it's not knowing the difference between a colon and a semi colon or phonemes versus graphemes or when to use juxtapositioning and when to use paradox or any of the complicated stuff that people get wrong.
It's when to make a paragraph break. Or when to use a comma. What clauses need to be bracketed in inserts, or which can stand alone. It's run on sentences (cough looks shifty as is terrible for this). Or passive voice.
And stupid things like that, that over and over again people get wrong because no one took the time to teach them it, because we're native speakers we obviously learn this crap in the womb or something. I hate when an otherwise awesome work is ruined by bad layout. When a story that should be powerful is shafted by confusing dialogue placement. When sentences make no sense, (although there is a bit in White Butterfly with an otherwise perfectly good sentence where Crawford talks like Yoda) or contradict themselves because of word placement.
I don't think most of you need to know about Alexandrines or enjambment or spondees.
But how to write a simple sentence, how to write a complex sentence, when to use each - that's important.
And yet sometimes I feel if I try to take the writer aside and say look, you have stabbed your fic in the back because no one taught you to do this I'm the villain. We need somewhere where people can go, betas included (because betaing means more than just spell checking) where they can see how it's done. A reference.
I just don't want to be the one to write it.
and one of which is the complete inability to actually teach the science of the language
now not to toot my own bugle but I have a masters in english, focussing on english language and composition. I know this shit because I studied it.
But here's the thing, it wasn't until I was doing my A=levels that someone bothered to explain at any point who to format a sentence, how paragraphing worked.
They were so busy trying to teach me the symbolism of shakespeare and stuff like that that there was never any by the way this is how it works lessons, you just got marked down if you got it wrong.
So when I'm reading fic, published or fanfic, and there is a mistake I don't immediately jump down the author's throat about it, I get that "Morrison" hand wave and complain about the education system.
I think it's why the English speaking nations are so crap at learning languages, because all of a sudden we're being asked to recognise pluperfect verbs in the transitive form when even the words in our own language sound like gobbledygook.
Seriously I had a bachelors degree before I understood Subject object verb orders, and then I was working with German when it clicked.
And so I get frustrated, because I do think it's important, in many ways although writing is an art it's like sitting down with an artist and showing them what the tools are for. Words aren't our tools, they're our palatte, but grammar and punctuation are our tools. We use them to manipulate words to create effect, that effect is what gives the reader a sense of pleasure. And it's not knowing the difference between a colon and a semi colon or phonemes versus graphemes or when to use juxtapositioning and when to use paradox or any of the complicated stuff that people get wrong.
It's when to make a paragraph break. Or when to use a comma. What clauses need to be bracketed in inserts, or which can stand alone. It's run on sentences (cough looks shifty as is terrible for this). Or passive voice.
And stupid things like that, that over and over again people get wrong because no one took the time to teach them it, because we're native speakers we obviously learn this crap in the womb or something. I hate when an otherwise awesome work is ruined by bad layout. When a story that should be powerful is shafted by confusing dialogue placement. When sentences make no sense, (although there is a bit in White Butterfly with an otherwise perfectly good sentence where Crawford talks like Yoda) or contradict themselves because of word placement.
I don't think most of you need to know about Alexandrines or enjambment or spondees.
But how to write a simple sentence, how to write a complex sentence, when to use each - that's important.
And yet sometimes I feel if I try to take the writer aside and say look, you have stabbed your fic in the back because no one taught you to do this I'm the villain. We need somewhere where people can go, betas included (because betaing means more than just spell checking) where they can see how it's done. A reference.
I just don't want to be the one to write it.