As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think in Spanish. Skip the word-by-word translation so I'd have the necessary speed to speak and listen. I know words in Spanish that I'd be hard pressed to translate. Usually profanity, I confess. Chingow!
For years my students here in China have studied grammar, and know it better than you or I. They read. They write. But speaking involves moving faster than that. In conversation, we don't have time to write it first and make sure it's all grammatically flawless, then read it aloud, perhaps after a bit of rehearsal.
So, I try to give them a chance to practice putting words together on the fly, rules be damned. The rules they've internalized will kick in and keep them comprehensible, which will build their confidence in their ability to keep creating conversation that way.
This is not unlike what we go through as authors. First we study rulebooks, perhaps take some classes, and conclude just about everything we're is doing is wrong. So many rules to memorize. We might dread sitting down to write with all those constraints.
But really, it's not about memorizing rules at all. It's about internalizing the rules, following them (or not if you prefer) without being consciously aware of what they are. They're there, but in the background.
The story's what matters. You're supposed to be having fun, not "working." At least not during the creation phase.
We don't always take the time to say, "I've written ten active sentences in a row so maybe I'll whip in a passive one now" or "I need a beat for every X lines of dialogue." I published four novels and edited dozens more before I learned what a beat was. (It's a pause so the reader can catch his/her breath.)
And, of course, since it is writing and not speaking, we can always go back and revise later. Then rely on editors to catch what we missed, or at least make us wonder why we wrote it this way instead of that way.
Some authors aren't even consciously aware of "the rules." They've never taken a class, never read a book about writing. They're simply avid readers who one day decided to write. But they've internalized the rules as well. It comes from reading.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you want to write, you must read. If you don't like reading, maybe writing isn't for you. It's not about writing because you want to say, "I am a writer." It's about writing because you enjoy writing.
And, it's really nice when you've been writing for a long time to go back and read a book about how to write. You might find one or two things to tweak in your technique, as opposed to a daunting laundry list of flaws. It's much easier to internalize one or two new rules than 50 or 100!
Copyright 2004, Michael LaRocca
Michael LaRocca's website at http://www.chinarice.org was chosen by WRITER'S DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. His response was to throw it out and start over again because he's insane. He teaches English at a university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, and publishes the free weekly newsletter WHO MOVED MY RICE?
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
As a child, I loved to write. I can't remember... Read More
My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More
I call it cheap therapy. That gushing, near-religious, poured-from-the-body stress... Read More
Writing better is critical for students. But it's even more... Read More
Dr. Phil's Life Strategies, #1 New York Times Bestseller catches... Read More
When the writing bug hits you, get out your pencil,... Read More
Do you have trouble getting your thoughts and ideas down... Read More
The biggest mistake authors make when trying to get free... Read More
Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas,... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing... Read More
Over the past eight years or so, I have tutored... Read More
If your writing muscle isn't in shape, writing a novel... Read More
When attempting to understand Creativity and Innovation, it pays to... Read More
You sink back into your favourite chair with a new... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
Writing is a personal and introspective process. To share with... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?By now you should have an idea... Read More
There are a lot of tapes and books and CD... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into... Read More
Every part of your book can be a sales tool.... Read More
When my first book "Starting Your Own Business" was published... Read More
Being a great writer is no longer enough if you... Read More
Most of us hate housework.Nevertheless, even the most hopeless slobs... Read More
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing... Read More
If you want to be a writer, then you must... Read More
A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in... Read More
When I first started tracking the information preferences of people... Read More
A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction,... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
Great business writers combine narrative skills with sound judgment to... Read More
Welcome to the zany ideas of a productive writer. My... Read More
Q. My writing sounds stiff and stilted. Help!A. Memories of... Read More
Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More
By far, I have found that the lack of discipline... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Proofreading worksheets are a great tool to help individuals open... Read More
The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More
There are three ways to write a first draft. One... Read More
More and more good authors are turning to the Internet... Read More
Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a... Read More
Part 1 of this article discussed the experience you need... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by marketing. First, there's so... Read More
Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not.... Read More
The first and final rule of quality writing is this:... Read More
If your cash is running out fast and you have... Read More
When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and... Read More
Typically when falling asleep in bed at night great thoughts... Read More
I've noticed a big shift away from traditional horror recently,... Read More
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two... Read More
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More
You may not remember this, but in the early days... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Not long ago, I took stock of my unrealized desire... Read More
It's cliché, but true-a picture does paint a thousand words.... Read More
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More
So you want to learn to research well, and not... Read More
Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelance writers. It's time... Read More
So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
Any article, report or book which is bought or sold... Read More
For many authors just starting out, it can be a... Read More
What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More
Writing |