# The things you dislike most about your own writing



## J Anfinson (Jan 10, 2014)

Number one would be redundancy. 90% of it I'll catch with the first edit or two, but it never fails that there's at least one instance that slips past. Another thing would be repeating words within the same paragraph or sometimes even the same sentence.

So what sorts of things irritate you about your own writing?


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## Folcro (Jan 10, 2014)

I rush. I always want to get to the story or the action or some idea I fell in love with and often overlook details that might better help the reader cling to the story or the characters, leading to an obvious display of my just trying to get through a scene. That's never good. And sometimes when I try to fix it, I end up with filler. Even worse.


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## escorial (Jan 10, 2014)

I go for the first draft and can be very impatient


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## popsprocket (Jan 10, 2014)

I dislike how many sentences I structure like this, although sometimes it really is the best structure for the purpose.


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## BeastlyBeast (Jan 11, 2014)

Folcro said:


> I rush. I always want to get to the story or the action or some idea I fell in love with and often overlook details that might better help the reader cling to the story or the characters, leading to an obvious display of my just trying to get through a scene. That's never good. And sometimes when I try to fix it, I end up with filler. Even worse.


This. This is my number one thing I hate I about. Y writing. I have an amazing idea in my head, get a chunk of it on paper and then already feel the rush of accomplishment and want to move onto other things,Veblen though the book so only 1-3% finished.

Brought to you by Autocorrect.


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## chongjasmine (Jan 11, 2014)

I don't like my poor grammar. Many critics of my work said that my grammar is poor.
Yet, sometimes, I am so used to the way I write that it is hard to change my writing style.
And often, I can't spot my own grammar mistakes.


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## shedpog329 (Jan 11, 2014)

When the momentary clause outstands the surrounding effort to maintain absolute apprehension  would be in the middle.

Above all else would be a lazy way to end and to finish would be a feeling of self depletion.

 The idea of giving up


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## popsprocket (Jan 11, 2014)

chongjasmine said:


> I dislike my poor grammar. Many critics of my work have said that my grammar is poor.
> Yet, [strike]sometimes,[/strike] I am so used to the way I write that it is hard to change my writing style.
> And, often, I can't spot my own grammar mistakes.



... huh? What do you mean we don't correct other people on this board?



But, seriously, I'm just kidding.


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## bookmasta (Jan 11, 2014)

The voices in my head telling me its all junk.


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## Dictarium (Jan 11, 2014)

My inability to communicate ideas succinctly.

My propensity for describing something in a much too _purple_ fashion.

That I put so much time into making my work so perfectly symbolic and allegorical but it seems to usually go unnoticed, leading me to believe it was all a waste.

I can't ever seem to find a balance between prose and dialogue.

I love to describe scenery, setting, surroundings but I'm constantly told that I'm supposed to leave it up to the readers' imagination. That's boring, to me but I still get it noted in almost everything I write.

I overuse and misuse things I've recently learned about; recently it's been the semi-colon.


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## Gavrushka (Jan 11, 2014)

I think it is movement (physical or through time). Whenever I am faced with jumping periods of time, I struggle a little. - I can do it now, but I feel uncomfortable with it.

The other struggle is silly little things. - A character is sat in the copilots seat of a shuttle, and she wishes to sit in the back and have a conversation with someone there. - It sounds ridiculous, but I'd often struggle with such a basic little scene. - It usually doesn't read badly when I am done, but it just turns my stomach to do it. - It's like a phobia had early on in my writing days that never left.

Starting sentences with 'Well' and using 'just' too much.

Thinking of an unusual and yet apt word, and then using it three times in three sentences. 

I use 'whilst' rather than while, and apparently that is is archaic language, but I slip into using it, if not reminded otherwise.


On a physical level, I struggle with fatigue whilst writing. It is unwelcome, and extremely frustrating.


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## Tatham (Jan 11, 2014)

I'm too fussy. I spend too much time rereading and rereading until I feel I've done all there is to do. Only, I'm never happy. Eventually I learned that it's best to just let it go. Plenty more to write so no point fussy over one book or you'll never get around to the others.


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## dale (Jan 11, 2014)

mainly just how long it takes me to complete anything. it's like i have to be in a certain mood to write the way i like it, and that mood is sometimes
hard to come by.


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## Potty (Jan 11, 2014)

Words. They've been done to death.


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## Sam (Jan 11, 2014)

I tend to let other people tell me what's wrong with my writing, whether it be betas, reviewers, or critiquers. I'm too close to it to be the most reliable judge.


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## popsprocket (Jan 11, 2014)

Oh, I also dislike how easily influenced I am.

I've been at this a while and I definitely have a style that is very my own, but it doesn't take much to nudge me off course both in terms of style and story ideas.


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## tepelus (Jan 11, 2014)

For the past year, the thing I dislike the most about my writing is the lack thereof. In 2012 I was writing like a champ, but in 2013 I struggled to get much done, and I blame it mainly on the change in my life I had gone through that sadly I am still stuck trying to adjust. I haven't written squat this year so far, a little editing on a novel I finished a year ago, but that's it.


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## Charlaux (Jan 11, 2014)

popsprocket said:


> Oh, I also dislike how easily influenced I am.
> 
> I've been at this a while and I definitely have a style that is very my own, but it doesn't take much to nudge me off course both in terms of style and story ideas.




Same as this. I read back stories that I wrote years ago, and though the spelling is atrocious, there's a spark which I fear has waned and continues to wane in my more recent stories as I get caught up with the technical side, and comparing my writing to other people's.


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## Kyle R (Jan 11, 2014)

If I'm being honest, the thing I dislike about my writing the most is the fact that it hasn't been published yet. That growing mountain of rejection slips stings more every day! :cower:


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## shedpog329 (Jan 11, 2014)

In spite of finding both a publisher and an audience


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## J Anfinson (Jan 11, 2014)

KyleColorado said:


> If I'm being honest, the thing I dislike about my writing the most is the fact that it hasn't been published yet. That growing mountain of rejection slips stings more every day! :cower:



Those are battle scars, Kyle. Wear those with pride.


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## J Anfinson (Jan 11, 2014)

Sam said:


> I tend to let other people tell me what's wrong with my writing, whether it be betas, reviewers, or critiquers. I'm too close to it to be the most reliable judge.



I'm sure you're right. I'm not the most reliable judge of what I write, either. It doesn't stop me from disliking certain things about it, though. I think I'm obsessed with making it as perfect as I can.


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## Gavrushka (Jan 11, 2014)

J Anfinson said:


> I'm sure you're right. I'm not the most reliable judge of what I write, either. It doesn't stop me from disliking certain things about it, though. I think I'm obsessed with making it *as perfect* as I can.




*snickers* (in a benign fashion)


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## Jeko (Jan 11, 2014)

Disuse of polyptoton.

Or something else that's meaningless; meaning, I don't focus on negatives. My focus is on the positives, and bringing them out by getting whatever doesn't help them out of the way.


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## D4MD (Jan 11, 2014)

My endings suck. I started writing only last year. So far, I've managed to finish only 3. After struggling to find a resolution to the conflicts on each one, I ended up settling for any kind of ending just so I could finish.


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## Gavrushka (Jan 11, 2014)

Hey welcome D4MD (I see this is your first post). - The thing is with endings, beginnings and the middle off the story is that they start of sucking, then they improve with practice. Recognising that something sucks is the first step to making it better the next time. - It's a slow process, for sure. 

- After you've made 10 posts ( I think there is a grace period too) you can start a thread with your work on, and perhaps one or two members can give you some practical help!


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## D4MD (Jan 11, 2014)

Thanks. Looking forward to some advice.


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## Morkonan (Jan 11, 2014)

Argumentative sentences. (Sentences starting with "however", "but", etc..)
Habitual misspelling of "exercise", "occurrence" and maybe a couple of other words. Dunno why...
Thinking I wrote something I didn't.... In other words, I'll write a para, think a bit, write another, think of something good, write it, then re-read, only to discover I left out something I thought I had already written.
That's about it.


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## Folcro (Jan 12, 2014)

Morkonan said:


> Habitual misspelling of "exercise"



One of my most pervasive flaws. I've suffered for it in the past.


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## J Anfinson (Jan 12, 2014)

Folcro said:


> One of my most pervasive flaws. I've suffered for it in the past.



I have the same trouble with exorcise. Three cheers for dictionary.com


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## FleshEater (Jan 12, 2014)

Sam said:


> I tend to let other people tell me what's wrong with my writing, whether it be betas, reviewers, or critiquers. I'm too close to it to be the most reliable judge.



I think that's true with all of us.


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## FleshEater (Jan 12, 2014)

Double post.


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## helium (Jan 12, 2014)

How vague the ideas are. Most of my writing starts with no theme and ends with a puny idea. I have to tack on my own interpretation of the story afterwards.


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## Citizen (Jan 12, 2014)

What I dislike the most is I know nothing about writing or the English language though I have the urge to put some thing down on paper or on the digital screen.  School taught English was lost on me.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Jan 13, 2014)

I constantly have to fight the feeling of, "It's good enough for me, but what if it's not good enough for anyone else?"

My writing copies enough stylistically from great authors that I love it to death, but at the end of the day, it's my own writing skill that's left to fill in the gaps.  I dislike my writing because I read it and wonder how anyone could reject it, but I also know that hundreds, if not thousands, of publishers would do just that.  I see how much work I've put into it and fear it's all been for nothing.

And on a lighter note, I dislike that my transitions are terrible.


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## grayfin (Jan 16, 2014)

I hate editing my work.I think it's the only thing that keeps me From Being a great writer. I procrastinate On it And that means never Completing my work.


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## Grape Juice Vampire (Jan 16, 2014)

I dislike the fear of finishing my writing.


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## J Anfinson (Jan 16, 2014)

No matter how many times I edit, I can look back at a piece a week later and cringe at at least one thing.


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## Olly Buckle (Jan 16, 2014)

J Anfinson said:


> Another thing would be repeating words within the *same* paragraph or sometimes even the *same* sentence.


Not that I object to it personally, but I couldn't help noticing


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## Theglasshouse (Jan 16, 2014)

> What I dislike the most is I know nothing about writing or the English language though I have the urge to put some thing down on paper or on the digital screen. School taught English was lost on me.



I often fear my own attitude regarding this. Pick up the book Grammatically Correct. I would have wished someone would have given me the idea. I  do write with difficult syntax. However, it makes too much sense since my own brothers didn't know  the grammar techniques inside the book. Which made me lose a lot of time.


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## tatygirl90 (Jan 16, 2014)

I wish I was better at writing exposition. My stuff tends to be dialogue heavy and sparse on description and setting though I'm working to change that.


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## Rain (Jan 16, 2014)

I tend to be long winded, 

Saying what I'm trying to say , in so many different ways.
As if I don't trust the reader to get my point the first time they read it.
Instead I keep going, twisting and turning my words into different sentences. 
Believing that I still haven't quite gotten to the root of the idea.
When in reality the things I need to say, could have been done in just one sentence.


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## JamMau5 (Jan 16, 2014)

The fact that I've started a hundred projects and haven't finished one, aside from poetry that is. I procrastinate and I have a bad tendency to changes ideas rapidly that I never get anything done. It's incredibly frustrating. My grammar could use some work too...


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## DABS (Jan 16, 2014)

Not having finished a novel in over three years!  I don't know why this has proven so difficult for me.  I can hit 50k no problem, but in terms of actually getting to the end of a story, it's been a while.


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## Justin Rocket (Jan 16, 2014)

The thing I feel most insecure about is my ability to come up with scenes.  I'm very confident in my ability to _write_ scenes, but I tend to, well, the following is an example.

If I start off with a protag who is insecure.  I might just fly through a scene showing that he's insecure followed by a scene where he's uncertain followed by a scene where he's totally Captain Cool.  It should probably take 40 scenes for him to make that kind of character growth, but, in my story, it takes three.


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## D4MD (Jan 16, 2014)

Citizen said:


> What I dislike the most is I know nothing about writing or the English language though I have the urge to put some thing down on paper or on the digital screen.  School taught English was lost on me.



...yup ^^^ this is me.



grayfin said:


> I hate editing my work.I think it's the only  thing that keeps me From Being a great writer. I procrastinate On it And  that means never Completing my work.



...wish I had that confidence. Sadly, even after editing my work for the 100th time I still feel like scrapping the whole thing. :grief:


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## patskywriter (Jan 16, 2014)

I used to be dissatisfied with my writing when I would compare my writing style to that of my sister. She's undeniably clever and can write in any style, and my style is plain, simple, and to the point. However, when I decided to start a community newspaper, I discovered that my style of writing was a perfect fit. For me, finding an outlet for my voice was more fruitful than trying to replicate a style that didn't come naturally. (It's kinda like growing up listening to R&B but later discovering that you're better suited as a country singer.) Now I'm very pleased with my writing and look forward to expanding into writing how-to books for kids and adults.


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## tabasco5 (Jan 17, 2014)

Punctuation.


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## Jilka (Jan 18, 2014)

I want to put everything in the longest sentences possible... :icon_shaking: The fact that English is a foreign language to me, makes it even trickier to fine tune which words are necessary or could just simply be left out. Then again - do those "extra" words represent your writing style... is that just something what you do as a writer or is it distracting?


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## Macduff Inkwell (Jan 18, 2014)

For me, it's the lack of description. Sure, I'd describe a character doing something, or being near something, but it's description overall. I'm afraid of over-describing, if that makes sense.


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## Gyarachu (Jan 18, 2014)

Its failure to exist.


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## DjamFantasy (Feb 2, 2014)

I hate it when I come up with great ideas for plot twists and having no idea how to tie the ends together to get my characters there. For example, my two main characters are living in a certain city in a kingdom. I want them to get to the capital of that kingdom so that the king can give them their quest, but I don't have a clue how I should get them there. Every day, some puzzle pieces fall into place though. I'm slowly getting there. Also, I tend to rush sometimes and have problems with detailed discriptions of the environment that my characters are in. Getting better at it, though. The more I write, the better it gets.


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## escorial (Feb 2, 2014)

Grammar...till my dying breath I don't think I'll ever work it all out.


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## Shari Sakurai (Feb 2, 2014)

For me its description. I can either have way too much of it or way too little. Learning to find a balance was difficult for me.


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## MJM (Feb 3, 2014)

For me, it's writing any action sequences. I'm never happy with how I structure them. I always feel that they're either too sparse or too much.


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## Shari Sakurai (Feb 3, 2014)

MJM said:


> For me, it's writing any action sequences. I'm never happy with how I structure them. I always feel that they're either too sparse or too much.



Yeah I have trouble with those too! I sometimes feel that they seem awkward and too short even though people assure me that they're not!


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## jk1973 (Feb 23, 2018)

I hate how difficult it is for me to write dialogue, one would think that you listen to people speak everyday and translating that to paper would be easy. I find that my dialogue ends up sounding like a "B" horror movie.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 23, 2018)

jk1973 said:


> I hate how difficult it is for me to write dialogue, one would think that you listen to people speak everyday and translating that to paper would be easy. I find that my dialogue ends up sounding like a "B" horror movie.



I really don't think translating what you hear to paper is a useful way to think of dialogue. What dialogue does in writing is usually something different from what it does in speech. Considering if it is advancing plot, making people's feelings known, explaining background, or filling some other such function, might be more useful. Some things it is good for , some  not so.

I don't suppose that will help make it flow though, I know the feeling. My best tip for avoiding the awkwardness is paring it down to a bare minimum, only say what you absolutely need to.


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## jk1973 (Feb 23, 2018)

Olly,
 Thanks for the feedback. I've never thought of dialogue as simply another way to move the story ahead, basically just adding quotations. As you stated the trick is to have it flow nicely, something I'm sure takes practice.
Cheers!


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## Matchu (Feb 23, 2018)

Idiot readers, and the people with educations say my 2000 words don't make any sense, and the idiots, and the critics when I find them


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## sas (Feb 23, 2018)

escorial said:


> Grammar...till my dying breath I don't think I'll ever work it all out.



So, ok, I've never shied away from saying stupid stuff. 
Why not write with characters who use poor grammar? All of 'em.


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## Annoying kid (Feb 23, 2018)

Takes too damn long.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 24, 2018)

Annoying kid said:


> Takes too damn long.



Yep, if only you could write it as quickly as you thinkof it.


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## NathanielleC (Feb 24, 2018)

I'll write a story. Ten readers are confused by it. The 11th reader gets it right off the bat without having to ask me for clarification.

I tried to take the advice of the first ten on board, to show I was listening. But the 11th says, "Now you've taken away everything that made the story good by adding too much. It's okay if some people don't get it."

So then I wonder, should I always count on one person getting it and should I take comfort in the fact that as long as one percent of the readers out there get my story, that I've done my job as a writer?

If a reader doesn't get it they say it's my fault as the writer. But does that mean if reader B gets it that I can take credit even if writer A still doesn't get it?


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## NathanielleC (Feb 24, 2018)

sas said:


> So, ok, I've never shied away from saying stupid stuff.
> Why not write with characters who use poor grammar? All of 'em.



The irony is, you'd have to be pretty good at grammar to knowingly portray a character who is bad at it.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 24, 2018)

NathanielleC said:


> I'll write a story. Ten readers are confused by it. The 11th reader gets it right off the bat without having to ask me for clarification.
> 
> I tried to take the advice of the first ten on board, to show I was listening. But the 11th says, "Now you've taken away everything that made the story good by adding too much. It's okay if some people don't get it."
> 
> ...



Work out how many people read English, one % of them would be a pretty good  readership.

I am notsosure about your point about grammar. Grammar is down to usage, there is no central authority that dictates what is 'right', if people understand it it is right, though it may not be standard. What you would  need toknow thoriughly is not either the prescribed grammar of text books or the everyday one of 'normal' standard English, but a dialect grammar, like in 'Trainspotting'.


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## Winston (Feb 24, 2018)

Only two things I dislke about my writing:  The quality and quantity.


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## Jack of all trades (Feb 24, 2018)

NathanielleC said:


> I'll write a story. Ten readers are confused by it. The 11th reader gets it right off the bat without having to ask me for clarification.
> 
> I tried to take the advice of the first ten on board, to show I was listening. But the 11th says, "Now you've taken away everything that made the story good by adding too much. It's okay if some people don't get it."
> 
> ...



It depends on who doesn't get it and why it was confusing.

If the ten who didn't get it have good reading comprehension, and the topic is something anybody should be able to understand, then I'd be concerned.

If the ten have below average reading comprehension, or if the topic is something that requires specific knowledge to understand it easily, I wouldn't expect the general population to understand what I've written, so I wouldn't worry. For example, a book about car engines is not going to appeal to everyone, only those interested in engines, so it doesn't matter if those who don't have that interest understand it easily. The exception to that, and there's always exceptions, is if the book is supposed to be for novices. 

Writers sometimes want things written in their own style, so I prefer to get feedback from readers. If the ten were writers and the eleventh a reader, I'd worry less than if it was the other way around.

I would be concerned if only one out of eleven understood what I wrote. It's how much I'd worry and how likely I'd make changes that depends on the specifics.


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## Jack of all trades (Feb 24, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> Work out how many people read English, one % of them would be a pretty good  readership.
> 
> I am notsosure about your point about grammar. Grammar is down to usage, there is no central authority that dictates what is 'right', if people understand it it is right, though it may not be standard. What you would  need toknow thoriughly is not either the prescribed grammar of text books or the everyday one of 'normal' standard English, but a dialect grammar, like in 'Trainspotting'.



If there's no grammar standard, then what do schools teach? And even dialects have their own grammar.

Now grammar is fluid, and can change. But that's not the same as not existing.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 24, 2018)

Jack of all trades said:


> If there's no grammar standard, then what do schools teach? And even dialects have their own grammar.
> 
> Now grammar is fluid, and can change. But that's not the same as not existing.



Go on then, who publishes this 'standard' grammar? The grammar books I have seen all vary, and publications all have their own style guides. Schools no longer attempt to teach a 'right way' grammar, you will see conservative MP's raving about it every so often. Grammar of some sort exist in every human society and language, but the variation is huge, we seem tobe cuturaly and biologically set up to recognise rules of some sort, what validateds them is when they are shared and lead tocommunication, not some mythical  central reference, that will simply be the preference of some pedant, not 'right'.


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## Jack of all trades (Feb 25, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> Go on then, who publishes this 'standard' grammar? The grammar books I have seen all vary, and publications all have their own style guides. Schools no longer attempt to teach a 'right way' grammar, you will see conservative MP's raving about it every so often. Grammar of some sort exist in every human society and language, but the variation is huge, we seem tobe cuturaly and biologically set up to recognise rules of some sort, what validateds them is when they are shared and lead tocommunication, not some mythical  central reference, that will simply be the preference of some pedant, not 'right'.



I is thought the likelyest ways to be selling lots o books were write with goodest spag but yins must knows gooder


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## JJBuchholz (Feb 25, 2018)

I would have to say my on and off lack of details surrounding character depth. In most cases, I can be quite thorough, while I am occasionally prone to leaving out details and attributes and focus too much on the overall story.

-JJB


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## Xenization (Feb 26, 2018)

For anyone wanting some grammar guidance because schools apparently aren't preparing us for the real world anymore. *sarcasm* 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199658234/?tag=writingforu06-20

https://elt.oup.com/student/oxfordenglishgrammar/?cc=ru&selLanguage=ru


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 26, 2018)

Try these xen,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0582848628/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0582848636/

And this on punctuation

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1250060419/

He has written a good few, and is pretty readable.


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## Xenization (Feb 26, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> Try these xen,
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0582848628/
> 
> ...



Those are talking about the origins of the language and its rules not saying that grammar doesn't matter. 

What you don't seem to get IS the origins and evolution of the English language, so maybe you should read them again?


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## Theglasshouse (Feb 26, 2018)

I looked at the first one and it looks interesting of the ones recommended. 

Mind you before I attempt anything I need to wait since I enjoy a challenge. To learn a grammar book. As in not giving up my dream. But currently waiting until it is my birthday to see the specialist or spech pathologist. Since I need a professional opinion. 

That book has rules in it so it ought to be grammar if I am not mistaken. I looked inside the book. And Crystal, is a renowned expert on grammar according to a book I once read briefly but never bought ( I think it's called word up sentences and paragraphs). He is an expert in that area. So I have seen his name before. This successful indie author wrote a grammar book. That is the book I referred to at the back it lists David Crystal.

So you've got a opinion here that suggests it could be a good reference since his grammar approach is taught differently and is less intimidating. I think that was oily buckle trying to make that point, since grammar usually has problems being taught. That is the debate with the schools in Britain I am guessing.


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## Xenization (Feb 27, 2018)

Theglasshouse said:


> I looked at the first one and it looks interesting of the ones recommended.
> 
> Mind you before I attempt anything I need to wait since I enjoy a challenge. To learn a grammar book. As in not giving up my dream. But currently waiting until it is my birthday to see the specialist or spech pathologist. Since I need a professional opinion.
> 
> ...



... I don't know if that was the point that Olly was making. To me, he was making the point that there are no rules for grammar. Which there are, they may all be approached differently but they are still the same rules where ever you go; as good English obeys a standard set of rules. Complex rules but rules none the less.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 27, 2018)

Xenization said:


> ... I don't know if that was the point that Olly was making. To me, he was making the point that there are no rules for grammar. Which there are, they may all be approached differently but they are still the same rules where ever you go; as good English obeys a standard set of rules. Complex rules but rules none the less.



All languages and dialects obey a complex set of rules, 'Good' English just happens to obey the set of rules that the speaker agrees with, it does not make them 'Right' over and above all others, only right in particular situations where they are shared by those using them. If a person uses another set of rules, Doubling a negative to give it emphasis for example, that is not intrinsically 'wrong', it is only misinterpreted if they are talking to people outside their grammar group, for those within it they are quite intelligable. My point is that, no matter how much the pedants might wish for it , there is no central authority or one set of rules, and further that nothing remains static, so even if there were they would  be unlikely to apply for long.

For example 
"Do you see who I see?"
or 
"Do you see whom I see?"

Which is correct? If you have been reading nineteenth century grammar books you will say the second, but it is a piece of dialogue, nobody talks like that, even the Queen would sound peculiar nowadays if she used 'whom' in that way. The pedant will tell you that the first is incorrect because ...  I would tell you it is correct because it is used, and usage and comprehension are the two gold standards for judging grammar.


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## bdcharles (Feb 27, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> All languages and dialects obey a complex set of rules, 'Good' English just happens to obey the set of rules that the speaker agrees with, it does not make them 'Right' over and above all others, only right in particular situations where they are shared by those using them. If a person uses another set of rules, Doubling a negative to give it emphasis for example, that is not intrinsically 'wrong', it is only misinterpreted if they are talking to people outside their grammar group, for those within it they are quite intelligable. My point is that, no matter how much the pedants might wish for it , there is no central authority or one set of rules, and further that nothing remains static, so even if there were they would  be unlikely to apply for long.
> 
> For example
> "Do you see who I see?"
> ...



Yes but if a writer doesn't have the wherewithal to adhere to an agreed-upon standard, no matter how de facto it is or isn't, I lose confidence that they're going to be able to do much more than vomit on the page. Their idea might be great, but writing is more than just ideas. It's communication. It's empathy and perception. Disregard for grammar, or more precisely lack of awareness of it, is like lack of awareness for other people - a sign of a mind that still has some developing to do.

To be fair, I have rarely read a published piece that is that bad, and any grammar abuse - _Catcher in the Rye_, _Handmaid's Tale_ - is generally a property of the character's voice. And how do I know that? I just do. You can tell. It rings true.

Anyway what don't I like about my own writing? It can be a bit wordy. I hate it also when I am writing a piece just to plug a gap and it is really boring and flat, clearly there for logistical purposes and totally lacking in any artistry. It's interesting when I see that in published work though. I think, ahh, I know what you were doing there! Makes me feel a lot less alone.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 27, 2018)

> Disregard for grammar, or more precisely lack of awareness of it, is like lack of awareness for other people - a sign of a mind that still has some developing to do.



Saying usage and comprehension are the gold standrds is not really disregarding grammar or treating it with lack of awareness. One can use language other than standard English for all sorts of effects, it is what makes Dylan Thomas' Welshmen Welsh and the True Ned Kelly Irish, and it is my contention that the more one understands something the better one can use it. I am not into disregarding grammar, but neither am I into restricting people to one 'correct' one. There may be times when it provides a better medium of communication, but that can be true of any form. Better to select the most expressive than try to pull the ignorant into line. One of the things I am forever editing out of my writing is a tendency to sound like a bad 'for schools' programme, definitly qualifies as part of the OP's question.


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## bdcharles (Feb 27, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> Saying usage and comprehension are the gold standrds is not really disregarding grammar or treating it with lack of awareness. One can use language other than standard English for all sorts of effects, it is what makes Dylan Thomas' Welshmen Welsh and the True Ned Kelly Irish, and it is my contention that the more one understands something the better one can use it. I am not into disregarding grammar, but neither am I into restricting people to one 'correct' one. There may be times when it provides a better medium of communication, but that can be true of any form. Better to select the most expressive than try to pull the ignorant into line. One of the things I am forever editing out of my writing is a tendency to sound like a bad 'for schools' programme, definitly qualifies as part of the OP's question.



No, you are right. But equally, abusing grammar because I'm Dylan Thomas isn't the same as abusing it because I don't have a grip on it, and doing so isn't necessarily evidence of literary genius; such a person might genuinely not be that good at writing yet. There's more that goes into good writing. But yes, twist language into new and interesting forms by all means. Have characters drop H and glottal stop their way to a pleasing denouement if it makes them more real but the minute we decide to come up out of voice and into straight narration, if we can't perform, we might struggle. Have you ever noticed that even the most backwoodsy of characters frequently have some special intelligence to them? That's grammar! Their thoughts, no matter how strange and unformed, are clearly communicated. Yet I see this idea put out there that it doesn't matter, that it's restrictive or whatnot, and there's definitely wiggle room but I'm not sure what's gained if we're unable to communicate to those around us. 

The worst thing about my writing is the squeaky-clean syntax of it. One comma out of place and the whole edifice shatters into a bazillion pieces. You can't rock out in a wine bar, everyone knows that.


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## LMWriting (Mar 6, 2018)

What I hate most about my own writing is that I can't seem to ever just let the reader infer something, I always want to point out every detail even if it was an obvious one.


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## Blackstone (Mar 6, 2018)

Definitely my tendency to overwrite is number one. I am the guy who writes five paragraph emails. On the bright side, it makes editing (almost) pleasurable because I frequently hack a 100,000 word draft down to 70k simply by cutting the crapzola. 

What else? Sometimes I feel like I don't communicate clearly, as mentioned. I especially notice this when I'm writing from a character's point of view and am "inside their head" trying to illustrate their thoughts. My own thoughts often being quite scrambled creatures, I occasionally project my own neuroticism. Sometimes it works, but usually it does not. 

The main issue with all such things is to recognize your own handicaps, be honest about your limitations, and then work on remediation as much as possible. This should be done before allowing others to read if possible.


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## tracy18 (Mar 12, 2018)

I hate how my sentences are so long that they might end up confusing the readers. Every other sentence that I write is filled with so much information that I lose track of what I actually wanted to say with that line.


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## senecaone (Mar 12, 2018)

The inability to go back and edit. That's it. *splat*, and walk away from the mess.


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## _Koriko_ (Mar 12, 2018)

Probably the fact I rush when I write (unless I edit it a million times) and that sometimes I just write about something so irrelevant and dumb I'm shocked. Like how good someone's lunch was. 

My complete lack of knowledge about clothing (I actually wrote long leggings once.)


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## Cephus (Mar 17, 2018)

LMWriting said:


> What I hate most about my own writing is that I can't seem to ever just let the reader infer something, I always want to point out every detail even if it was an obvious one.



Just as bad is assuming the reader will make what you think are logical inferences and having the whole thing sail completely over their heads.  I've unfortunately had instances where I thought the solution was just obvious, but my beta readers had no idea what was going on.


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## Sir-KP (Mar 19, 2018)

Sometimes I find it to be cringey, as in sounds fake, not enticing, trying too hard to get the tense or drama on. But edit-after-edit, I think I can make it less so and write better from the first attempt. lol

Secondly, I used to share my draft with a friend who showed me his draft. He said to me that my story pace went too fast and I kinda agreed on it. So using that as a feedback and the next time I realized, my story was too draggy. Oh well...


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## Thaumiel (Mar 19, 2018)

Academically: I struggle to fill word targets, I prefer just getting straight to the point. Apparently other people don't feel the same way.

Personally: I just don't think it's ever good enough.


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## Lordress of Words (Mar 26, 2018)

I would have say partially the same as you. I will sometimes use a word more than once which can throw the flow off. Pronouns!!! My bane or so it seems! (lol) I have been told that sometimes I can use them too consecutively which is hard for me because if someone is doing something I have to get creative when talking about them instead of throwing a bunch of "she"'s around. (lol) I also do not like slow reading or writing, which means I am not a fan of a lot of fluff. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but I guess it depends on who you ask.


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