I know that as many of you read the title to this particular thread of thought, you will feel as if I have just committed the verbal equivalent of mass murder. As your mind threatens to unravel at the mere mention of grammar, or spelling, or even punctuation, just remind yourself that English class is over and done with. You suffered through it, and you have succeeded, at least as far as making it out of the classroom.
But the point remains, hanging there like the invisible gorilla passing through the room.
(For those of you who have yet to know who that invisible gorilla might be or what on earth he has to do with grammar, see the link here for more information).
Grammar is more important than ever. It has been slowly creeping into the room, eventually coming to stand blatantly in the middle of the room, waving and staring with an odd little smile, just waiting for us to notice. Yet most of us continue to stare blankly at anything, everything, but the gorilla in the room.
I stand up now to say, PAY ATTENTION! The gorilla of grammar is there, and the sooner we learn to look for it, the better off in life we will be.
A new study posed in the journal of Psychological Science shows just how important the subject of grammar is to us all, even when we have decided ourselves far too old to sit in an English class anymore.
This study (Hart & Albarracín, 2011) asked participants to sit as judge over a "criminal case". They were given a list of what a person "was doing" or a list of what a person "did". They then rated whether they thought the person was innocent or guilty, and whether the actions were intentional.
What started as an innocent little grammar problem turned into very real results. People rated the person who "was doing" things as having more harmful intent, and therefore was also rated with a "guilty" verdict more frequently.
Is it simple grammar anymore? The way a question is posed can alter the answer. Suddenly the gorilla of grammar is hard to ignore.
So instead of beating our chests, hooting and hollering, about how we have to listen to our English teachers when they tell us "grammar is important", why don't we sit down and take the time to look over what we write?
If a blog is your thoughts put out on the Web, why not stop and take the time to make them thoughtful? Don't be afraid to embrace your spellchecker. Don't be afraid to wonder "should I use than or then"? And don't be afraid to wave back to that "monkey in the middle" and use his odd little grin to your advantage.
Thursday, February 17
Tuesday, February 15
25 commandments that every writer should follow
The 25 Commandments
This article is one that every writer no matter what the discipline or diploma, should think about and take to heart.
Whether a weekend blogger or someone who aspires to loftier publications, this article sums up one thing that every writer should know: that in order to be a good writer, there first must be something worth reading.
I think that the best piece of advice that any writer could give to another is to write as you want to be read. If you are humorous or dry, funny or merely informational, convey this with a sense of purpose and passion that only you can convey.
As for the mothers out there, these rules apply not only to writing, but to our daily interactional lives as parents, as women, and as any sort of classification you may see yourself under. So here is an abbreviated 10 commandments of motherhood:
1. In daily life, there is only one person who matters. Sometimes you cannot see it, sometimes that person is not the same as what you may see in the mirror. Regardless, that person is you.
2. You are not here to impress anyone, not even yourself. You are here for instruction, guidance, and discipline.
3. Your first reaction to any situation is and will always be the most important. Choose carefully.
4. Have humility. Never be too full of yourself to see your children and their needs.
5. No one has to listen to you, not even your children. Make yourself into someone worth listening to, and you will earn their respect.
6. "Because I say so" has never been an acceptable response. Use it accordingly.
7. Just because a child is small in stature does not mean that they are small in intelligence. If you must explain, do not make the mistake of thinking it is because they are not smart. It is simply because they have never had the experience required to understand. Children are often more intelligent than we give them credit for.
8. Life is complicated. It always will be. The more complicated it is, the more our children look to us for explanation. Don't make that explanation more complicated than the question.
9. Keep it simple, and make it short. Nothing gives children more excuse not to finish chores than a long and complicated story.
10. There is only one story to be told, no matter how many parts it may have. Keep that in mind when helping or giving advice. Just because your child is not good at a task does not mean that inability will define their life. There are just many parts to the one beautiful whole that is your child.
This article is one that every writer no matter what the discipline or diploma, should think about and take to heart.
Whether a weekend blogger or someone who aspires to loftier publications, this article sums up one thing that every writer should know: that in order to be a good writer, there first must be something worth reading.
I think that the best piece of advice that any writer could give to another is to write as you want to be read. If you are humorous or dry, funny or merely informational, convey this with a sense of purpose and passion that only you can convey.
As for the mothers out there, these rules apply not only to writing, but to our daily interactional lives as parents, as women, and as any sort of classification you may see yourself under. So here is an abbreviated 10 commandments of motherhood:
1. In daily life, there is only one person who matters. Sometimes you cannot see it, sometimes that person is not the same as what you may see in the mirror. Regardless, that person is you.
2. You are not here to impress anyone, not even yourself. You are here for instruction, guidance, and discipline.
3. Your first reaction to any situation is and will always be the most important. Choose carefully.
4. Have humility. Never be too full of yourself to see your children and their needs.
5. No one has to listen to you, not even your children. Make yourself into someone worth listening to, and you will earn their respect.
6. "Because I say so" has never been an acceptable response. Use it accordingly.
7. Just because a child is small in stature does not mean that they are small in intelligence. If you must explain, do not make the mistake of thinking it is because they are not smart. It is simply because they have never had the experience required to understand. Children are often more intelligent than we give them credit for.
8. Life is complicated. It always will be. The more complicated it is, the more our children look to us for explanation. Don't make that explanation more complicated than the question.
9. Keep it simple, and make it short. Nothing gives children more excuse not to finish chores than a long and complicated story.
10. There is only one story to be told, no matter how many parts it may have. Keep that in mind when helping or giving advice. Just because your child is not good at a task does not mean that inability will define their life. There are just many parts to the one beautiful whole that is your child.
Tuesday, February 8
The world of blogs
Blog- a monster of being that can grow on its own, follows you everywhere, and can be either the friendly family dog or a snarling mongrel that snaps at everyone and foams at the mouth when provoked.
The evolution of this strange animal is the idea that sometimes there is a glimpse of truth that no one realized was there. The white elephant in the room suddenly happens to appear on the dining room table and there is nothing you can do about it.
The weather can affect the affectations of the blog. When its dreary outside, no one can be happy, not even the blog. When its sunny outside the blog will be good, but even the blog has his fickle moods.
Sometimes the blog will bite you. That one good story suddenly takes on a life all its own, far from your own ambitions and expectations. The ideas that you created become something you never thought they would be. And those ideas can crush you, wound you, and make you do things and say things that you are sure to regret.
But the blog can also be your friend. There is the unexpected warmth you feel when you boot up the computer and see the comments left by friends and adoring fans. The blog can make you see the wonder that is life, and the ideas that you create can help to enhance it.
“The subject of the blog matters, whether there should be a voice in that blog or not.”
The paper was designed for truth, facts, and hard information. The radio was created to send out the voice, to entertain and to weave the music of the masses into daily life. The television was created to show what all the rest couldn’t tell with words alone.
But what about the blog? What is this beast’s purpose? For now, we can only speculate quietly to ourselves as we hopefully pat this animal on the head.
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