Quote:
Originally Posted by ScalyFreak
Obviously I didn't phrase my previous post very well. I blame the late hour and an abundance of snuggly kittens.
|
OK... I'll adjust for late and snuggles.
Quote:
|
What I meant was that anyone who wants me or anyone else to read what they've written needs to have someone else read it before we do. Someone who's not afraid to call the writer on short-cuts, sloppy character development, boring interludes that add nothing to the plot, et cetera. You know what i mean.
|
Yes, I do. You mean check the content. The spelling and the grammar come along with that, but when you talk about 'sloppy character development' and 'boring interludes you are discussing content and context, not grammar and spelling, and I agree with you 100%. If the story doesn't develop, if the characters become boring, if the entire piece doesn't come together, we the readers can't continue to read it. I certainly can't. It takes a good editor to insure that.
But if the writer misuses a comma, ends a sentence with a preposition, or splits an infinitive, it doesn't detract from the story... for me. Not in the least. I don't read a book to play policeman. I have no interest in correcting a writer's mistakes, nor do his/her mistakes lessen the quality of a good book... for me. However I'm well aware that there are plenty of people who will stop reading a book when they find the second grammatical error, regardless of how well the plot or characterization has developed thus far.
Stitchawl