Why Should I Care About Grammar?
by Megan Reilly
Homepage: http://members.dencity.com/eponine/
On the Internet, words are the only way others have of perceiving you. If you spell things incorrectly, put everything in lowercase or completely ignore punctuation, your readers will think you are ignorant and lazy.
Don't worry. You can get help.
Spellcheck. Spellcheck is basic. Most word processors and email programs provide some form of spellcheck. Use it. Spellcheck won't help you with the hard stuff, like the difference between they're, there and their, but it's a great start at eliminating typos.
After you spellcheck, proofread. Otherwise you might not realize your spellcheck has gone wild and then you'll post that story about Buyers, Gangly and Forsake and their strange encounter with Assistant Director Skinnier.
Beta Readers. Some people swear by beta readers, and most of the really good online authors I know have one or several. That said, I'm personally a little wary of the concept. Sometimes I've read stories where a beta was noted in the author's notes, and the story is still poorly spelled, punctuated and executed, which leads me to believe some beta readers are like the blind leading the blind. If your beta doesn't know either, they can't help you.
Which is not to say the beta reading experience can't be invaluable, especially for reactions and story structure. A beta reader can point out all kinds of things, such as "She broke her ankle in part one and she's tap dancing in part three." A beta reader can also offer all kinds of support no dictionary can provide.
That said, as a writer - someone who uses words - it is essential that you learn the basics of language yourself. If you don't enjoy language, knowing it and being able to push it to its limits, are you sure you should be a writer?
Some essential tools in your arsenal should be:
A dictionary. Preferably a big fat one, but the ones on the Internet are great too. Try www.dictionary.com as a starter. Look up words that you don't know. Look up words when you're not sure of their exact shade of meaning. Look up words if you're not sure how to spell them. Some dictionaries also offer entries for people and place names and foreign phrases.
A thesaurus. You don't have to use the same words over and over. With a thesaurus, you can find the word that has the exact shade of meaning you're looking for. A lot of word processors have thesauruses, and you can also find one at www.thesaurus.com.
A baby name book. Okay, so your parents might give you a bit of a funny look when you pick this one up. But you're a writer. Your characters need names. And unless you're trying to make a point about how untraditional they are, those names also need to be spelled correctly. (I don't want any of you to ever write a story about someone named Micheal, okay? It's Michael. I'm serious.) Name books also have things like lists of popular names by decade and by country, which can be useful. Megan and Kayla are popular names now, but if you're writing about a fifty year old woman, her name is more likely to be Patricia or Barbara. The meanings or histories of names can also help you find the name for a character that is perfect. One of my favorite sites is at BabyCenter: http://www.babycenter.com/babyname/popnames.html
A style guide, or a good grammar book. Some people swear by Strunk & White's "Elements of Style." I like the punctuation section in the back of the AP Style guide, myself. Some schools let you keep your English books at the end of the year. There are a lot of other books available as well, such as "Woe is I."
Some schools, junior colleges and university extensions offer basic refresher courses in grammar. If you're a little uncertain, take one. If you think you know grammar well, try a copy editing course, which will drive you to get your stuff in tip-top shape.
Don't say, "It doesn't matter." It does. A couple of errors are understandable -- this is, after all a hobby. But consistent problems are sloppy. Are you not getting as much feedback as you'd like? (Or any feedback at all?) Your grammar and presentation may be part of the reason. If someone does send you a feedback note and mentions a technical problem ("Paragraphs would be nice" or "Ack! So many comma splices!") you should probably take it seriously.
Another issue comes up concerning writers who are not American. If you are writing in English and it's not your main language, have a native speaker look it over for you before posting. In the case of writers from Britain, Canada and Australia, where spelling and grammar differs slightly from American English, many people believe that because they are writing about an American show, they should conform to American English. Personally, I think this is ridiculous. In this case, an extra "u" here and there is instantly recognizable, and readers know why it's there. Likewise, "alright" is NOT a word in America, but IS a word in Canada.
A few common errors and how to avoid them
Lay/lie - If you don't know which one to use, avoid these words completely. It's not difficult to do. "She pulled the covers up over her head" is more vivid than "she lay down" anyway.
Lose/Loose - If you lose something, it's gone. If something is loose, it's baggy. If you loose something, you have set it free. A really, really easy way to figure out which one you need is to say it out loud. L-o-se. L-o-o-se. See the difference?
Who/Whom - Some people say "whom" is completely archaic. If you believe this, fine. Don't use "whom" if you don't know how. Basically, if you would use the word "him," then you can substitute "whom." Example: "She gave the book to whom?" because "She gave the book to him."
For more on this topic, see What are the Elements of Phyle?
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