Comments on: Ain’t Got Good Grammar?

By: Tami

Tami — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:13:13 +0000

Seconding the recommendation for Door #2 here.

Reading a book on grammar is a lot like being force-fed tofu-flavored rice cakes.

It’s good for you but it’s also dry, boring, and most folks end up dreaming of bacon double cheeseburgers before they really see any significant benefit from it.

(What, you don’t dream of bacon double cheeseburgers when studying grammar?)

The BEST thing about hiring a freelance copyeditor or proofreader is that they should not only point out grammar snafus - they also tell you WHY it flagged their attention.

It’s easier to stay focused, pay attention, and learn your grammar when it’s applied directly to something you’ve written. The “lessons” are keyed directly to the way you write and the mistakes you make most often.

By: Cheryl Carter

Cheryl Carter — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:47:17 +0000

Elizabeth,

Being in a writer’s critique group might also help. A critique group usually has at least one grammarian and the group can point out what’s wrong and suggest a correction. This way, you’re learning with your own work. And if you have to try to explain to another writer why a particular sentence doesn’t work, you’ll learn to spot these errors in your own writing.

After that and before you submit, you can hire a proofreader or copyeditor.

By: Obinna Ozoigbo

Obinna Ozoigbo — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:21:58 +0000

Lizzie, you do not need to be afraid, especially if grammar is your only area of weakness. I suggest you simply get yourself a proofreader, just as Randy has advised. I can boldly say that my grammar is quite good. But that does not absolve me, completely, from the common flaws of writers. One thing you should know, however, is that the grammar of even some of the world’s most celebrated novelists aint no good at all. It may sound ridiculous, but it is just the truth. Moreover, you may be even better than them, after all.

By: Elizabeth Rudolph

Elizabeth Rudolph — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Thanks Randy. Thanks to Obinna too. Grammar is my only weakness that I know of. Although it does cause other problems in my stories sometimes because it makes it hard to read. This really helped me. I think I’ll go with option two. I’m tired of trying to make my grammar better. At least I now know that if I stop focusing on my grammar as much I will have more time to write and work on my strengths.

By: Camille

Camille — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:30:53 +0000

Elizabeth, I don’t know how much you read, but reading tons seems to help so many of us pick up style, voice, rhythm, grammar, etc. Sort of by osmosis, through your fingertips. I don’t think there’s such a thing as reading too much.

You can also play with & customize the settings in your word program to alert you to grammar issues, that way you can see your own problem areas before you’ve written an entire book with the same issue. JM2C.

By: Jim Thompson

Jim Thompson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:59:33 +0000

Practice, practice, practice …
Few Olympic gymnasts were born flipping and twirling. The problem with poor grammar is most people’s poor grammar is different from your poor grammar; though their writing habits are far from perfect, they will conclude from your peculiar gaffes that they are smarter than you. Readers want to believe an author has something positive to contribute to their lives, and they won’t believe that if they think they’re smarter than you.

Camille was spot on; a writer only reads too much if the reading precludes the writing. But keep a dictionary handy, and use it. And read aloud. If you hear yourself speaking well, you will develop a sense of grammatical correctness, even if you don’t know the rules.

By: dividedheart

dividedheart — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 10:11:07 +0000

A really good book on grammer, that doesn’t dry out your eyeballs, is Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. It’s an English book, though, so there maybe small differences if you are submitting to American editors.
I would have a serious think about how bad your grammer is. An English teacher recently looked at one of my short stories and told me there were some grammer faults but she wouldn’t change them because they added to the voice of the piece. Sometimes erroneous grammer is a quirk of your voice that will be lost to a proofreader so make sure you find one sympathetic to your style. It’s up to you to ‘murder your darlings’ not someone else. DH