The Lost Language

This is something that I will never understand or fully come to realization with. How can one call themselves a writer yet they don't have a basic grasp of english grammar? I am not professing to be perfect in everything that I write but I at least know the basic structure.
I tweeted about this a couple of days ago. I was reading a few of the "popular" blogs and I was shocked at how many gramatical errors there were in just one post. Now mind you, these bloggers usually crank out between 5 -10 posts per day. That's a bunch of mistakes! Some of the errors were simple like using too instead of to, or your instead of youre. The majority of the errors that I saw were things like double negatives, putting words where they don't belong etc. It's crazy because if they had taken the time to read back through what they just wrote then they, hopefully, would have caught these mistakes. It's not always about being first as much as it is about being right.
I understand that as bloggers we are free to express ourselves without conforming to anybody's set rules but when you portray yourself as a writer that blogs, you are held to a different standard. Before you start to wonder, no I am not hating (which by the way is one of the most overused terms in pop culture, right next to swag) I'm just merely observing and reporting what it is I'm seeing.
Those that read this blog often already know, and you can tell if you read my banner above, that I take great pride in what I write and I try to make my point in a way that everyone can understand. I was told that you must write for your audience. You don't recite Shakespeare at Chuck E. Cheese. I totally agree but at the same time you shouldn't have to 'dumb down' for said audience either. Speaking or writing gramatically correct doesn't mean you can't reach any audience. *this coming from the kid who was told that he wrote & acted white because I talked and acted like I had some sense.*
I think people sometimes confuse writing from the heart with writing incorrectly. Just because you're writing from the heart doesn't excuse lack of basic grammar skills. I write from the heart everytime I pour my words out onto this screen. That doesn't make me less passionate or heartfelt because I use correct terminology. It just means I take more pride in my work by making sure that what I say is correct.
Just my opinion, you may agree or disagree but it's my opinion.
peace
Sincere
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2 Comments to “The Lost Language”

  1. By A.Smith, May 28, 2009 @ 10:49 AM

    I like to see various styles of writing — reminds me that it’s ok to be free with it.

    At the same time you don’t do yourself any service to write in such a way that it’s hard to understand what you’re saying, and following certain grammatical norms helps with that.

    I also like to find one who writes in a way that challenges me. Don’t dumb it down, make me go look up a word or two, make me re-read a sentence (because it’s well written/challenging, not because it’s just non-sensical)…

    Above all else, I think that if a person writes in a way they understand (again, following certain norms) they’ll come out better.

  2. By Sincere, May 28, 2009 @ 1:37 PM

    A.Smith;
    Hey! You hit the head on the nail with that last line! I totally agree, I don't want to come off as if I'm trying to stifle anyone's creativity or anything. I love reading blogs where the writing is different or in their own way, but they still follow simple rules of grammar. I hate having to read something over and over & guess at what the author was trying to get across. My issue is with the bloggers that say 'oh I'm not a blogger. I'm a writer' but can't put two sentences together to save their lives! lol I think it's two categories; Bloggers that Write and Writers that blog. Bloggers that write are like your high school/college editorial or newsletter. some of the errors are allowed & it's no biggie. Writers that blog are like any other publication e.g. NY Times, AJC,Washington Post etc. If they really call themselves a writer I should be able to compare their works to these publications & be able to confidently say that what they wrote is written just as well as the bigger pubs.
    All in all I think it's okay to write freely, but you still have to follow the basic rules of grammar.

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