Regular followers of my blog will have noticed that I'm not the best with punctuation and spelling. Well I'm here to tell you that from this day forward, I'm not going to change.
Sorry, but to be honest, I can't promise something I just can't deliver on. My grasp of the English language is very weak and I'm painfully aware of that sad fact, it's pointed out to me on a regular bases. I'm no scholar and I've never professed to be. What I am is a trier, I try my best with everything. I excel at some things in my life but unfortunately fall short with others, punctuation and spelling are two that I fall down on.
So if after 47 yrs I have failed to understand it, I really don't think it's going to click into place anytime soon, much to the frustration of my family and friends. Now if they're frustrated then how do they think I feel about it?
What I can do is put together a great plot, with some wonderful characters thrown in the mix. So I can bake the cake but I can't do the icing, that I have to leave in the capable hands of others, thank goodness there are people in my life I can trust to do that. As for those of you I frustrate with my bad punctuation well I guess you had best not follow my blog, because it won't be changing any time soon. For those of you willing to stay, please enjoy the ride. I will be posting the edited prologue for Body Jump at my next blog post so keep a critical eye open for it.
Kev - I'm stuck in line editing 'hell' at the moment and much of it comes down to discussions about where to place a comma. Should there or should there not be ellipses etc etc etc.
ReplyDeleteI did not realise there were so many rules about punctuation, so many different types of dashes. I'm very grateful I've got an awesome business partner and co-editor who is able to get his head around the punctation quandry.
You'd love two of the stories in our anthologies - both by the same author Dale Challener Roe, where punctuation plays an actual role in the story. One character gets his name, Dash, from his overuse of said type of punctuation. The other, a guy called Math, has just been sacked from his job for no longer using apostrophe's and its considered guerilla punctuation!
At the end of the day... good punctuation cannot save a bad story.
Awesome to see you today... and thank you for letting me have a play with your iPad!
Oh dear... I just saw the misuse of an apostrophe in the word apostrophe. I guess I'm all punctuated out!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how you feel Jodie.
ReplyDeleteHi Kev, I love all your imaginative stories, characters and plot lines. I know your punctuation sucks but I don't care. Keep bringing us those stories!! Karen T.:))
ReplyDeleteTell a ripping yarn and employ a professional punctuator!
ReplyDeleteKev, your stories are unique and engaging and pulls the reader into the plot, that's what every writer works hard to achieve. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are all components of writing, but without a great story it doesn't even begin to matter. That's where proofreaders and copyeditors come into the picture...so don't let the fact that you frustrate your friends and family bother you - they'll get over it ;)
ReplyDeleteHooray for those that see past my shortcomings and are able to see the big picture. Thank you all.
ReplyDelete