We All Need Words on Unruly Writing

‘That’s not what I was taught at school’ are words we hear a lot. We’re always using our unrules to undo the things people were taught to do (and not to do) in the classroom. It’s strange, writing at primary school is all about stories, being creative and enjoying what you write. By the time you get to GCSEs you're clinically unpicking why a poem works instead of saying why you like it (and you're living in fear of red pen). Writing at school should get your brain buzzing, not be a chore. So things are changing starting here.

 

Five Unrules:

 

5. Write short or ‘fragmented’ sentences.  Ignore Microsoft Word’s green squiggly line. A sentence can have seven words. Or two. It’s up to you. Play with the length of your sentences to add pace and rhythm to your words.

4. Split infinitives. They can be clunky but they’re not grammatically incorrect.

3. Use contractions (eg that’s instead of that is). They’re a good way to make your writing sound more personal.

2. Don’t sign off letters with ‘Yours Sincerely if you know the person you’re writing to or ‘Yours Faithfully’ if you don’t. ‘Yours Sincerely?’ It’s 2010. You don’t need to use stuffy formality like this anymore (or start letters with ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Sir / Madam’ for that matter).

1. And you can start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’. We just did.

And a bonus rule from Kurt Vonnegut:

‘Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.’

We All Need Words are shaking up a few rules about how to use words. They’re running a weekend workshop for The School of Life on 9 October 2010. Click here for more details.

Comments

[Drew Byrne]

I can’t say I agree with any of this “stuff”; although since I purchased my computer I (apparently) do it all the time, even while making unwieldy grammatical mistakes…

[Lauren]

I like a good semi-colon when a comma or full stop just won't do.

[Rowena]

Nice post. But, aw, I like semi-colons!