Is there a scientific name for the constant repetition of the same old mistakes? Do you ever do that? Just keep doing the same thing again and again, and you know you're doing it, and you hate that you're doing it, but you do it none the less? Or you see something, or someone, and you've experienced something negative about them before, and yet you keep looking?
You see a student of Creative Writing use "Your" when it's supposed to be "You're". And I'm sorry, but you're doing this even when you scream and shout and kick that what you want to do is write on a professional level... and yet you can't fully string a sentence together? I see people making mistakes again and again, blindly, or maybe willingly, and it just... drives me to insanity. Don't cut corners! Don't take the easy, lazy way out.
It makes my head hurt.
I don't like people that tell and tell and don't show. I think we, as "word-smiths", as Creative Writers, shouldn't fall back on the proper and correct name for something that we're describing. I think words are used too freely, like "oh, but they're big and important, so why shouldn't we use them?"... I have an answer. Because we're better than that. We should be, I think. Maybe.
It's like a really brutal, angry form of masturbation. Like you're screaming at yourself while you're doing it, but you keep doing it (if you're following the metaphor still, shame on you) because you can't help it. So bad it's good.
Oh, who am I to say anything?
Is it not "I think words are used TOO freely"? :P xx
ReplyDeleteOne spelling mistake! Kill me now.
ReplyDeleteI think you're being a bit unfair? Down with prescriptivism! ;)
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, we're all here because we enjoy writing, even before wanting to be professional writers. We'll learn from our mistakes in good time.
By the way, how do you know these people you're talking about don't have learning difficulties?
I wasn't aware I was being judged for my opinion! Not a statement of fact. We're at university now. Sure, a few mistakes here and there are damn fine, but we're at *university*. Confusing too and to and through and thorough and their and there is stupid. Literally... stupid.
ReplyDeleteNow, before you judge me for the "literally stupid", my brother is dyslexic and he's aware of this and he does something about it. But he doesn't do Creative Writing! It's part and parcel of writing well to take care with ones own words.
I don't know, I see people that announce themselves the second coming of Jesus (he wrote the Bible, right?) but can't write for shit, and I see these people who can't get their theirs in the proper order.
Bugs me :)
Nope I'm not judging you, I'm just saying my opinion. :)
ReplyDeleteFeel free to judge me. :p