Can good writers be bad spellers?
April 27th 2009 18:32
We can agree that everyone who writes, including novelists, poets, journalists, bloggers, corporate writers, copy writers, and students, makes mistakes in grammar and spelling. Whether or not perfect spelling and grammar are hallmarks of a good writer is perhaps a more controversial issue. The great Mark Twain said famously, "I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way." Are spelling and grammar the foundations of good writing, as many English teachers might have one believe, or are they only technical concerns, subordinate to criteria such as linguistic beauty?
I'm no Mark Twain. But I have been writing in corporate/technical milieus for a number of years, and my grasp of spelling and writing is good. Still, there are some things that cause me to second-guess myself all the time:
But this is what editors are for, right? Well...somewhat. (Same with spell-check software, to a very limited degree.) It's the responsibilty of the writer to proofread and self-edit before the writing goes to the next step, be that an in-house editor, a job posting, or the Publish button on one's blog. If the items above weren't examples, I would've looked them up in my writing manuals or online, just to be sure.
You might be saying at this point that some writers choose to write in a 'style' that makes use of misspellings and erratic punctuation. True enough. But in addition, I'll paraphrase Robert Graves* and say that one must learn how to spell and write grammatically before one can effectively and purposely not do them. Good spelling and grammar help ensure that one's writing is clear and unambiguous. There's a world of difference between an e.e. cummings poem and an incoherent cover letter or blog post. Think about it: would Picasso have been able to paint Guernica had he not known how to paint in a classical, conventional style beforehand?
* "Every English poet should master the rules of grammar before he attempts to bend or break them. "
I'm no Mark Twain. But I have been writing in corporate/technical milieus for a number of years, and my grasp of spelling and writing is good. Still, there are some things that cause me to second-guess myself all the time:
- "Neither she nor he has it." "Neither she nor he have it." The second one sounds more correct to me, which means that it must be wrong. I think.
- Broccoli. Brocolli? Broccoli. (?)
- I sometimes spell "embarrass" with one "r", but I always catch it upon proofreading. I don't know why I do it; it could be because "harass" has only one "r".
But this is what editors are for, right? Well...somewhat. (Same with spell-check software, to a very limited degree.) It's the responsibilty of the writer to proofread and self-edit before the writing goes to the next step, be that an in-house editor, a job posting, or the Publish button on one's blog. If the items above weren't examples, I would've looked them up in my writing manuals or online, just to be sure.
You might be saying at this point that some writers choose to write in a 'style' that makes use of misspellings and erratic punctuation. True enough. But in addition, I'll paraphrase Robert Graves* and say that one must learn how to spell and write grammatically before one can effectively and purposely not do them. Good spelling and grammar help ensure that one's writing is clear and unambiguous. There's a world of difference between an e.e. cummings poem and an incoherent cover letter or blog post. Think about it: would Picasso have been able to paint Guernica had he not known how to paint in a classical, conventional style beforehand?
* "Every English poet should master the rules of grammar before he attempts to bend or break them. "
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Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
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I am so wary of rules when it comes to wriring. Most great writers were, but to answer your question in a nutshell; I guess the proof of the pudding is in the reading!
What*s that up the road, ahead?
What*s that up the road, a head?
One of my favouraite examples of how the language can tie creativity into a knot if it is not careful.
There is great truth here too, and why I blog to improve the spelling through daily grinding practice whilst I often write inane rubbish, but hopefully more and more coherently, well spelled rubbish.
I appreciate your efforts to make this point as it is encouraging me to continue my efforts, of for nothign but to improve myself.
I can*t tell you how I spent two whole days agonising over commas on an essay at uni once. nearly drove myself nuts! *chuckle* The truth is that commas are grmlins who can take on many shapes and hide too . . what d*you reckon?
Lilla
Ps excuse my apostrophe apathy but as you know they don*t always work, as you rightly guess the other day, only on here becuase of some Html SETTING YOU METNION PERHAPS, STILL i AM SO USED TO USING THE aSKI NOW, WHY CHANGE. .
Comment by samaritan
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