If I’m to listen to and take heed of all the conventional wisdom that constantly barrages my senses from the learned keepers of the gate of literary correctitude, there’s a grave danger that my already fuddled brain will curl up into a crumpled ball seconds before it disintegrates completely. As a comparative newbie to this wondrous writing game, I have tried hard ( no, truly I have ) to grasp the ‘what I SHOULD do’ about Point of View (POV). I’ve grappled with the concept that I ‘SHOULD leave editing’ to the end of the manuscript production. Rules on ‘character arcs’ (the WHAT THINGS????) SHOULD be obeyed, and Heaven forfend that I SHOULD EVER blaspheme by splitting an infinitive. And as for the immovable tenet that I SHOULD not ever contemplate inventing a new word, well, in that sphere I am doomed to Hell and all its fiendish tortures. Then, maverick that I am ( at least in my own head), I set to wond’rin’… what would Billy Shakespeare, or Chuck Dickens, or our old chums, Johnny Steinbeck and Ernie Hemingway have thought of it all? If these splendid forerunners to our modern Web-by World had been pummeled as we newbies are, would any of their stuff ever have seen the light of library day? Did they ever arm-wrestle with agents and do battle majeur with the might of the publishing empires? P’raps they did in their own way, but somehow, this old Luddite kinda thinks that maybe, just now and again, it’d be good to kick back a wee bit and JUST F$#@&KING DO IT! We’re Writers. So Write. We’re not POV-ers, not Characterarcs-ers, We tell stories. So, storytellers, get back to storytellin’… and when they come to arrest you, be comforted in the knowledge that I’ll be waiting in the next cell beside you… and we can split all the bluuddy infinitives we can find together… won’t that be fun? …Oh dear, my head’s spinnin’ with all the giddy anticipation of it… I’m going to lie down for a bit .. see you later …





Living on the edge, are we?
Literary correctitude aside, have fun with your writing and readers will come. As usual, your posts make me smile. Thanks
‘skirting with danger’ s my middle name… really out on the edge there …:):) Glad I make you smile m’Lady… And you get this blog’s honourable mention for first respondee
:):)
I hear you on POVs. They are not be trifled with!!!! or even custarded with.
On new words – get on it, make up as many as you can. Hundreds of years from now someone will write ‘It was in 2012 that Gallacher gave us the word ‘mickspicklthrumenter’. Somebody has to give us new words – why not you?
We’re on the same wave length , that man,, when you up in Abu Dhabi again ?
I’m down there two or three times a week. Could do a coffee this week?
Any time this week that suits .. give me a call and see if timing fit, chief .. CHEERS