Does it matter about Grammar etc

[Purdy Bear]

Sorry if I put this in the wrong place as Im new to the forum.


Does it matter if you cant spell and your grammar isnt too hot? Im really enjoying writing my science fiction novel but Im worried the publisher might refuse it due to my standard of written English.

Thanks
Purdy

[The Ace]

It probably would, to be honest. Your word processor will be fitted with a spell-check facility anyway, but a bit of extra reading will go a long way to improving grammar.

We also have the 'Critiques,' section, allowing others to read your work. We don't bite and we'll be nicer to you than any editor.

[pyan]

What Ace said.

if you do decide to put anything into "Critiques", keep it short (about 700-1000 words), and be prepared for people to suggest changes and improvements in grammar, phrasing and punctuation.

But as Ace also said, we don't bite, or mock, or disparage - what you'll get is constructive criticism.

[Lith]

<--Well, some of us bite. But I already had my teeth removed, so it doesn't hurt much when I do.

Yes, grammar matters. And spelling matters. But the good news is, you can get people to pick through it before you ever send it off to an editor. And if you aren't a good speller, don't trust any automatic spell-checker. Well, don't trust them anyway. But if you're already a bad speller, you won't notice all the words the computer corrects wrongly. Same thing with Word's grammar checker, though it can be useful in bringing to your attention possible problems.

Write first. Polish later.

edit: Just don't write in netspeak. You'd be better to put in the effort to spell it properly while you write- one, because it reinforces good habits, and two, because you'll spend a lot of time picking through what you wrote to make sure there isn't any left in there. And three, your beta readers will kill you if they have to read netspeak for more than a few sentences.

[chrispenycate]

Put yourself into the head of an editor in a publishing house. You know that nineteen out of twenty of the things you read are going to be sent back with a rejection note anyway. Then you open a manuscript and the first page is spattered with errors. You never get as far as reading the story, it's straight back.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are the easy bits; they can be taught, they can be learnt. Story construction can be learnt, but I'm not certain it can be taught, while the base ideas, they are inherent as often as not. They can be stolen, but not learnt as such.

So it behoves you to get the simple bit right, or else no-one will ever notice what you have done in the creative department; they will hang up on grammatical errors which have no bearing on the story.

This doesn't mean you have to stick slavishly to the rules; particularly in dialogue, a little flexibility adds to the natural flavour. But, to break rules effectively, it is much simpler to know what those rules are.

[Teresa Edgerton]

If you send a manuscript to a publisher, you're asking them to invest time and money in bringing out your book, so it stands to reason that you want to make the very best first impression possible. If you neglect things like spelling and grammar, most editors will take that as a warning that you'll be careless in other ways, like plot and characterization. They'll think about the trouble that it's going to take to get your manuscript ready for publication. And they'll wonder if you really care enough about language to be skillful in your use of it.

That's three strikes against you before they've read more than a couple of pages.

If you love your story and you love your characters, you should love them enough to learn how to present them in the best possible light.

[mosaix]

Originally Posted by Purdy Bear

Sorry if I put this in the wrong place as Im new to the forum.


Does it matter if you cant spell and your grammar isnt too hot? Im really enjoying writing my science fiction novel but Im worried the publisher might refuse it due to my standard of written English.

Thanks
Purdy

In one way it matters more than the story. If grammar and spelling are poor then readers are going to give up straight away, so they will never know how good the story is.

[SJAB]

Yes it does, sorry, you need to be able to tell your story clearly.

[jenna]

I agree, yes it matters very much. Grammar is the cornerstone of writing, without it you don't really have anything.

But it was the other thing you said that grabbed me, if you are ENJOYING writing your book, don't worry about publishers and editors. If your grammar is really bad the bottom line is you probably won't get published, but who cares if you derived genuine enjoyment from the process? I know I won't be a professional latin dancer in the forseeable future, but that doesn't mean I don't thoroughly enjoy my lessons..

[Peter Graham]

I'm afraid that it matters very much. Words and grammar are the tools of the trade. You wouldn't think much of a builder who wasn't very good at laying bricks or making up render or a mechanic who didn't understand how an engine worked.

If you aren't that strong at language, why not take a bit of time to learn - evening classes, writer's groups, books like "Eats Shoots and Leaves" - whatever it takes.

I know that grammar is unfashionable in the modern education system, but without it, how will you convey the subtlety of your characterisation? How will you draw a reader into your plot? How will you convey everything that is churning around in your head?

On the plus side, if you have the story, you've got more than most. Like Chris says, learning the rules is the easy bit.

Regards,

Peter

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Purdy Bear

Does it matter if you cant spell and your grammar isnt too hot? Im really enjoying writing my science fiction novel but Im worried the publisher might refuse it due to my standard of written English.

I'll give you an analogy: Is a skeleton (or exoskeleton) necessary for walking? Grammar and spelling are the skeletal structure of your writing. Without it, all you have is a pile of very muddled, muddy, and confusing words and phrases stitched together in a way that may make sense to you, but don't necessarily convey anything you're attempting to convey to others... and certainly not to a larger audience than a few friends....

[gil]

Like everyone else here, I think it matters. But, regrettably, not everybody is taught properly these days. In preparing Mythaxis magazine, I have received some submissions which were badly spelled, didn't know where to put apostrophes or how to do speech, etc. and I've struggled through to read them all, thinking that there might be the odd gem among the dross. As it turned out, all but one weren't worth bothering with. This indicates to me that sloppy wordsmithery is allied to sloppy storytelling.

And the simple fact is that, especially if you have internet, you can find out how to do all of that yourself by example from others, and there's no excuse for not trying. All writers must have a library. Consult it, for heaven's sake!

[Ursa major]

As others have said, grammar is what makes a string of words mean something; if you get it wrong, the meaning may be lost.




An aside:

I recall a German language course at work where the teacher was so exasperated by some of her students' lack of knowledge about grammar that she turned to the class and said: " A verb is a doing word."

Frankly, it was embarrassing.

(As it happens, most of my knowledge of grammatical terms came from being taught - but not really learning - Latin.)

[Anarchon]

If you don't like details, you can write for your pleasure but can never become a writer (and an author).
A writer likes details. A writer tries to perfect his/her work. You can write without thinking of grammar and spelling, but when it comes to editing, you just can't if you don't know your basics.
There are lots of resources on the Internet. My suggestion is that you go back to studying. Sad but true.

[Purdy Bear]

Thanks for all your help.

In my secondary school, some 20 years ago, I had half a term of grammar in my entire school time. Iv wanted to be a writer since I was 11 years old and sadly now I'm playing catch up. Iv read numerous books on grammar but it just doesn't seem to go in. Iv even thought of employing an English teacher to help. I can't see where I'm going wrong it's the pits.

Id love any help, since I have the drive, determination and the story telling/creativity.

Thanks
Purdy