You Must Write Well
Ever attend a writers' conference, a workshop, or a writing class? If not, it's something you should consider, and you'll learn more about this in Chapter 24. If you have participated in such a program, you may have been informed about some of the “rules” of proper writing such as: use semicolons sparingly and never when writing fiction; commas should be employed in moderation, only when appropriate, and in a series of three or more; a sentence should never end in a preposition even if it's the only thing you can think of.
To write well, one cannot be ignorant of the rules of language and grammar. You must know what is proper and what is incorrect before you can determine whether or not a particular rule should be followed or discarded for the sake of the writing.
The truth is that there are no absolute rules when it comes to writing well regardless what you may be told by a writing instructor or workshop leader. Some of the very best writing and most talented writers repeatedly violate the fundamental canons of grammar. What counts is whether the writing is effective, and this can be subjective and a matter of opinion. For example, it may be incorrect grammatically to end a sentence in a preposition, but sometimes to maintain a conversational tone or particular voice or get across a sense of realism in the dialogue, it is the best option.
Rules Vary in the Genres
When writing fiction, one has far greater latitude when it comes to grammar than writing nonfiction. Conformity to the rules of grammar varies among nonfiction genres. In some nonfiction genres, rules of grammar must be followed assiduously, such as in scholarly treatises, textbooks, and articles appearing in professional journals and newspapers. You'll have some flexibility regarding grammar if you're writing articles, reviews, and opinion pieces and even more latitude with memoirs, personal essays, and creative nonfiction.
The best way to know the degree of flexibility you have in adhering to basic principles of grammar in a specific genre is to become familiar with that genre. The most effective method to do this is to become well read in that genre.
Regardless of the nonfiction genre you select, there are some common grammatical mistakes many writers make which you should avoid. Here is a sampling:
Do not confuse that and which. That is the restrictive or defining pronoun while which is the nonrestrictive or nondefining pronoun.
Do not substitute affect, the verb, for effect, the noun.
Avoid using an exclamation mark following a simple straightforward statement of fact. The exclamation mark should be employed for commands or true exclamations.
Do not insert commas between cumulative adjectives.
Can refers to an ability and should not be an alternate for may.
Irregardless should not be substituted for regardless.
At the end of a list introduced by such as or for example, do not end the list with etc.
Avoid starting a sentence with the word however when the meaning is nevertheless.
Omit needless words and use definite, specific, concrete language.
