Know the rules. So you can break them!
We've all probably heard them: the people who say "Learn the rules." and the people who say "In writing there are no rules." Well, guess what. They are both right. Yes, both. And I know this all sounds like a contradiction, bit it's not. It's a paradox. It sounds like a contradiction, but it's true.However, there is a simpler way to explain this terribly confusing subject. I like to say that writers need to know the rules so they can break them.
There are rules in writing and all writers need to learn them. Those rules have different divisions: grammar rules, rules that identify genres, submission rules, and others.
Now some rules are unbreakable. For example, if you write a story about a serial killer, from the point of view of that serial killer, there is no way that's a Romance. It's most likely a Mystery or a Horror. You may argue that your plot revolves around a love relationship between your killer and one of his victims. Fantastic. Creepy, but I love it. Yet, it's still not a Romance. Maybe it fits some other genre outside Horror or Mystery. I don't know. I'd have to read it, but it's by NO means Genre Romance.
Either way, other rules are just meant to be broken, but you cannot break them unless you know how to. And in order to learn how to break the rule correctly, you have to know how to use the rule correctly.
Let's focus on grammar here, shall we? Every writer HAS to know grammar or else he/she will have problems with other people in the industry and problems communicating with the audience. Grammar is hard for many. I will personally admit that it gives me a headache. Therefore, I detest it and it's my least favorite part of writing. Other people love grammar. I respect and admire these people, because they are brave and intelligent souls. However, like I said, all writer has to know grammar. Grammar is the key to good communication. It is the key to avoiding sentences that make no sense or eliminating those nasty pronouns with unclear antecedents. It is the key to using the right words and the right punctuation.
However, knowing the rules of grammar also gives you the key to knowing when to break the rules of grammar. Example? Read on:
"I won't last long without it. For a few days, I'll be able to function with unpleasant symptoms of dehydration, but after that I'll deteriorate into helplessness and be dead in a week, tops. I carefully lay out the provisions. One thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat. A pack of crackers. A pack of dried beef strips. A bottle of iodine. A box of wooden matches. A small coil of wire. A pair of sunglasses. And a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry."
from The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
If I were writing a text book for an English class or taking the SAT, there's a few things I might point out as "incorrect" here. Ms. Collins has written many phrases like sentences. Grammatically correct, this extract would look a little something like this:
"I won't last long without it. For a few days, I'll be able to function with unpleasant symptoms of dehydration, but after that I'll deteriorate into helplessness and be dead in a week, tops. I carefully lay out the provisions: one thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat, a pack of crackers, a pack of dried beef strips, a bottle of iodine, a box of wooden matches, a small coil of wire, a pair of sunglasses, and a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry."
Boring, isn't it? At least compared with the last one. It's not that there's anything wrong with using the correct punctuation. The point is that shorter sentences create more suspense. I don't know if you'd read The Hunger Games, but the book is all about suspense. The use of commas in the "correct" paragraph has slowed down the rhythm of the writing. Also shorter sentences are easier to read. How many times have you found a long sentence in a book and realized that you need to read the sentence again to understand it? Making a reader go back to read the same sentence over and over again is one other thing that takes away suspense. Sometimes it's best to keep it short.
Now, Suzanne Collins knows the rules of punctuation. The paragraph above is just an exception to the rule. A necessary exception. She doesn't use it when she doesn't have to, and she still manages to keep up the suspense.
"In another hour, it's clear I've got to find a place to camp. Night creatures are coming out. I can hear the occasional hoot or howl, my first clue that I'll be competing with natural predators for the rabbits. As to whether I'll be viewed as a source of food, it's soon to tell. There could be any number of animals stalking me at this moment."
from The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
See my point? The rules here are followed, because there is no point in breaking them.
Still, I will admit one thing. I wasn't there when The Hunger Games was written, but it's very possible Suzanne Collins didn't think about grammar when she wrote the first draft. She just used the punctuation as it felt right for the rhythm. But a writer writes with the heart and should edit with the mind (if applicable, which in most times it is). So while you may not notice the punctuation on the first draft, you will have to on the ones that follow. You will have to ask yourself "Is this grammatically correct?" The answer maybe no, and if it is, you'll have to ask yourself "Is it worth breaking the rule?" And the answer to that last question is one that only you will know.
So now, go ahead. Learn the rules, and break them if you must. Your high school English teacher may disagree. Tell her I gave you permission.
P.S.: I don't recommend you break the rules in your class assignments. Not unless the teacher allows you.
There are rules in writing and all writers need to learn them. Those rules have different divisions: grammar rules, rules that identify genres, submission rules, and others.
Now some rules are unbreakable. For example, if you write a story about a serial killer, from the point of view of that serial killer, there is no way that's a Romance. It's most likely a Mystery or a Horror. You may argue that your plot revolves around a love relationship between your killer and one of his victims. Fantastic. Creepy, but I love it. Yet, it's still not a Romance. Maybe it fits some other genre outside Horror or Mystery. I don't know. I'd have to read it, but it's by NO means Genre Romance.
Either way, other rules are just meant to be broken, but you cannot break them unless you know how to. And in order to learn how to break the rule correctly, you have to know how to use the rule correctly.
Let's focus on grammar here, shall we? Every writer HAS to know grammar or else he/she will have problems with other people in the industry and problems communicating with the audience. Grammar is hard for many. I will personally admit that it gives me a headache. Therefore, I detest it and it's my least favorite part of writing. Other people love grammar. I respect and admire these people, because they are brave and intelligent souls. However, like I said, all writer has to know grammar. Grammar is the key to good communication. It is the key to avoiding sentences that make no sense or eliminating those nasty pronouns with unclear antecedents. It is the key to using the right words and the right punctuation.
However, knowing the rules of grammar also gives you the key to knowing when to break the rules of grammar. Example? Read on:
"I won't last long without it. For a few days, I'll be able to function with unpleasant symptoms of dehydration, but after that I'll deteriorate into helplessness and be dead in a week, tops. I carefully lay out the provisions. One thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat. A pack of crackers. A pack of dried beef strips. A bottle of iodine. A box of wooden matches. A small coil of wire. A pair of sunglasses. And a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry."
from The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
If I were writing a text book for an English class or taking the SAT, there's a few things I might point out as "incorrect" here. Ms. Collins has written many phrases like sentences. Grammatically correct, this extract would look a little something like this:
"I won't last long without it. For a few days, I'll be able to function with unpleasant symptoms of dehydration, but after that I'll deteriorate into helplessness and be dead in a week, tops. I carefully lay out the provisions: one thin black sleeping bag that reflects body heat, a pack of crackers, a pack of dried beef strips, a bottle of iodine, a box of wooden matches, a small coil of wire, a pair of sunglasses, and a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for carrying water that's bone dry."
Boring, isn't it? At least compared with the last one. It's not that there's anything wrong with using the correct punctuation. The point is that shorter sentences create more suspense. I don't know if you'd read The Hunger Games, but the book is all about suspense. The use of commas in the "correct" paragraph has slowed down the rhythm of the writing. Also shorter sentences are easier to read. How many times have you found a long sentence in a book and realized that you need to read the sentence again to understand it? Making a reader go back to read the same sentence over and over again is one other thing that takes away suspense. Sometimes it's best to keep it short.
Now, Suzanne Collins knows the rules of punctuation. The paragraph above is just an exception to the rule. A necessary exception. She doesn't use it when she doesn't have to, and she still manages to keep up the suspense.
"In another hour, it's clear I've got to find a place to camp. Night creatures are coming out. I can hear the occasional hoot or howl, my first clue that I'll be competing with natural predators for the rabbits. As to whether I'll be viewed as a source of food, it's soon to tell. There could be any number of animals stalking me at this moment."
from The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
See my point? The rules here are followed, because there is no point in breaking them.
Still, I will admit one thing. I wasn't there when The Hunger Games was written, but it's very possible Suzanne Collins didn't think about grammar when she wrote the first draft. She just used the punctuation as it felt right for the rhythm. But a writer writes with the heart and should edit with the mind (if applicable, which in most times it is). So while you may not notice the punctuation on the first draft, you will have to on the ones that follow. You will have to ask yourself "Is this grammatically correct?" The answer maybe no, and if it is, you'll have to ask yourself "Is it worth breaking the rule?" And the answer to that last question is one that only you will know.
So now, go ahead. Learn the rules, and break them if you must. Your high school English teacher may disagree. Tell her I gave you permission.
P.S.: I don't recommend you break the rules in your class assignments. Not unless the teacher allows you.