If You Suck at Grammar, Keep Trying
Finding one’s own voice as a writer does not depend fully on how fluent you are in your language. That is only a part of the picture. If you truly want to develop your stylistic writing skill, you must first pay attention to that old Latin saying, "Nosce te ipsum": know thyself. And, here, we come to it; The real purpose of writing—is to say something that is to you worthwhile.
Coming To Terms With Your Passion And Reality
There are many writers who have a hard time coming to terms with their passion for writing. Especially the beginner. All their desires for writing and their hopes and expectations begin to meet up with reality. They want to write like a master, and they believe that if they could only get there more quickly, they would truly enjoy the feeling they get from such accomplishment. But this fact remains: no one can rush greatness. It comes as it chooses.
And that is where the frustration starts with most writers. They begin to realize that writing like a master requires not only conviction and heart, but also experience and professionalism. So, not only do beginners often get frustrated about having little to offer when it comes to having something worth saying, but they feel as if their writing skill will never measure up. Well, that’s just negative thinking, and no one ever gets anywhere when they start out with such a small view of themselves and what they have to offer.
Having a high opinion of the writing process, and holding a grand view of one’s own potential, is not a bad thing. It only becomes bad after being told by honest readers that one should get better, and not listening. It gets worse when one begins to think that second and third drafts are not necessary and that every sentence/paragraph/stanza just written is flawless. So, instead of extremely negative or overwhelmingly positive attitudes, a writer really should claim a middle ground where positivity does not bloat the ego, and where negativity does not harm the talent. Well, in such an endeavor, this is the best advice: Don’t try so hard!
Don’t Try So Hard
Don’t try to emulate Shakespeare’s sonnets simply because you’ve been told by your English teacher that his sonnets are the best (even if you agree or not). Don’t try to mimic Hemingway’s style if the only reason for doing so is that his style looks so effortless. Finding your own style, your own voice in what you write, depends on you and you alone, and lots of practice.
In a previous If You Suck At Grammar article, it was brought up that a journal is a poet’s schoolyard. Well, it’s not just a poet’s schoolyard, it’s any writer’s schoolyard, where words are the hands and feet, and sentences and paragraphs are the monkey-bars and swings. It is where the writer can exercise his talents and skills without fear or the pressure to do good. And, since your personal writing voice depends so much on you to develop it, then it’s obvious that writing begins with the writer.
Every writer must have something that is to them, worth saying, and must want to say it. He or she must also know how to say it with as much clarity and effect as is possible to them. These first two requirements are not as qualifiably teachable as is the latter; They must be learned in a different way. However, learning to say something clearly and with effectiveness can be taught much more easily. That makes learning to answer the question “How do I measure up to experienced professionals?” also a little easier, because the answer is: Don’t try so hard!
From pg. 4 of Prose Style by Stone & Bell: “Don’t try to be ‘professional’; try to be honest with yourself, with your own feelings and thoughts, and with the ideas you encounter in your reading. There is nearly always some point where you and your experience intersect with those ideas, some point where you can speak with authority. The point may be only a tiny corner of a large issue, and may take some pondering to find; but authority is none the less real for being asserted in a small matter. Writing about Shakespeare or the Second World War is inherently no more interesting than writing about your roommate. The interest depends not on the size of the subject, but on what you have to say.”
What Do You Want To Say?
There are several kinds of writers, but the two most common are the writer who just wants to entertain, and the writer who wants to enlighten. There are writers who want to do both, but for clarity’s sake let’s keep to these two.
Just to be clear, even a writer who simply wants to connect with a reader through emotive or provocative writing has a particular message to share, and through either entertaining or enlightening or a mixture of both, the medium is accomplished by perseverence and practice, and of course, knowing what you want to say.
To determine which one of these you want to be, just ask yourself: Is there something you want to say to people through your written words? If there is, what is it? Here we approach theme, but let’s not get too directly invloved in this subject just yet. Let us simply define ourselves according to our goals as writers. Do we have something in particular we want to share, some message we want to get across?
Personally, I’d like to think that every writer, at least on some level, does have a message — even if it’s simply: Hey, look what we’ve become!
Self-Discovery
So, where does our inclination to write come from? It comes from our self discovery. We see others doing so with such verve and wit, with such daring and awe-inspiring accomplishments, that we want to find that for ourselves. Writing is a very provocative way of discovering oneself, and we do it by finding things to write that affect us, that drive us to say something, that move us and reveal our desires or fears, dislikes or foibles. This is why journalizing can be such an aid to the aspiring writer in developing a personal style and tempering the blades of grammar. The more you practice it, the better you become.
Keep Trying
We have always known that no person is perfect. The same goes for writers. No matter how good we get, there will always be mistakes to trip us up. But giving up by staying down has never been a successful writer’s last action. Quite the contrary; it is the writer that gets back up, recomposes, and continues the struggle who finds the treasure he or she seeks. And, let’s not forget what Captain Jack Sparrow once said to Will Turner: “Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.”
It is the persistent attitude, the undying determination a writer shares with Mr. Will Turner that in the end wins out. He would never give up hope in saving the beautiful Miss Swann, and neither should any writer give up on a cherished dream, no matter how grand or lofty it appears. Keep trying. Continue the struggle. Be steadfast and sure. Stay true to your perseverence. Choose today what you want for tomorrow, and work toward it.
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November 6th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Thanks for sharing.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
You are a true writer who loves his craft, Adam. Writing is a skill that is constantly being refined. Everybody should read this and glean some wisdom from it. You tell it like it is. Though your title may put some people off. Enjoyed this thoroughly.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
This is a great article, It captures exactly how my writing skills are developing. I haven’t recieved a nasty comment about my grammer in awhile. Learn from our mistakes and push on. Great job putting that out there.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
This is a very inspiring and motivating piece, Adam. It made me reconsider my passion for writing, and my desire to improve whatever writing skills I have.
November 7th, 2009 at 2:14 am
My friend, your post will surely of big help not only to aspring writers but to seasoned ones. Thanks for sharing.
November 7th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Thanks guys for all your encouragement.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:01 am
I take all your advises. Thanks
November 28th, 2009 at 11:45 am
you are right! practice makes perfect!
December 9th, 2009 at 11:00 am
You read me and I read you
that’s what all Triondites do
thank you
you are gr88888888888
lovely honey
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:35 pm
This is my great agony. Good advices, sir.
June 7th, 2010 at 12:44 am
very well said… no one can be great in just a blink of an eye…
June 15th, 2010 at 7:34 am
Dear Adam,
I don\’t understand the purpose behind your article. Have you given any guidelines to a prospective writer who wants to write well. You haven\’t. At best, your article is full of verbiage.
I find, that\’s the trouble with all renowned writers. They follow some rules themselves but won\’t tell the world what they are, to guide a beginner writer. They tend to go round and round in ascending circle like an eagle and disappear into its own orifice. As a result, a keen reader-writer would find himself none the wiser.
I m sorry, Adam. I know many have given you accolades to your piece. But I don\’t quite agree with them.
All beginner writers, lend me your ears.Some day I will tell you my \’secrets\’ without witholding anything. I am not a famous writer but I am a writer all right with less than 2% rejections to my credit. My writings may not be very fragrant, flowery and tasty. But you will like it. I shall give away my prescription, absolutely free; you try it and you will find your writing shining out brightly somewhat .
Incidentally, if you are not strong in grammar no one would appreciate your writing nor would any editor accept your contributions. So brush up your grammar with all seriousness. Don\’t go by what Adam says about grammar.
Adam, how about getting in touch with me. I am Israel Jayakaran, a regular contributor to Triond. My i.d is: israel@jayakran.com
Regards,
Israel Jayakaran
June 24th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Well, thanks Israel for your criticism. I appreciate it. In fact, I went back over the article to see if I could find any vague spots or misdirected points.
Yet, I wonder: are you taking this article to be some sort of grammar guide? It is not, nor is it meant to be. In fact, the point of the article is quite clear: no matter how good you are, Keep Trying. You are only helping me make my point when you say “So brush up your grammar with all seriousness.” And, I do happen to give lots of structured advice here. Maybe it’s not the kind of specific advice you wanted?
I am not a renowned writer. At best, I have a few fans who enjoy my attempt at a dignified style. As for the “secret” rules that you think renowned writers are not willing to share, that’s just negative thinking. There is no secret to being a great writer. Just diligence and a lot of hard work. If you want to know the rules of grammar, there are plenty of places online and in your local bookstores where you can find them. Just ask around. A successful writer is a writer who never gave up.
As far as the diction of my article goes, I find no overdone flaw in it. Perhaps you are not used to the style? Is English a second language for you? If you think the “verbiage” in my article here is overdone, then you should read some of the stuff by Douglas Niles! Now there’s a writer who knows the English language!
As well as inspiring the reader to Keep Trying, this article is meant to bring to light some of the deeper motivations for writing. I especially wanted the reader to forget about grammar for a few minutes, and examine his/her own reasons for being a writer and to help bring them back to that basis for their inspiration. Without purpose, even the most grammatically correct prose or poetry will lack in meaning. Which is more important, grammar, or meaning? I think you know. Now that you know the point is as obvious as the title itself, if you still find yourself none-the-wiser after reading it, then that would not be my doing, that would be yours.
However, I would like to tease you some more, Israel, because, I have in the works another “If You Suck At Grammar” article coming out which will actually deal with the basic structures of sentences. I am not so stingy as you think — a fact you would know if you had read any other articles of mine. In your haste to fire a shot at the bullseye, Mr. Hood, you missed the bull’s eye altogether.
Thanks again for your criticism, it is duly noted and taken into consideration.