SWRT 219 | Nitty Gritty: Grammar & More

August 26, 2021

person typing on MacBook Pro on brown wooden table during daytime photo

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn ponder whether or not people with a creative license need to worry about the conventions of grammar & punctuation. I don’t think the answer will surprise you, but the whys, wherefores, & particular concerns we have with those craft elements may prove enlightening.

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VIDEO

AUDIO

SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

Why is grammar important to us? (0:57)

Is it worthwhile to study it? (5:10)

The problem of misplaced commas, and other technical mistakes. (7:00)

The grammar problem self-publishing created. (9:46)

Using grammar as a character quirk (and be careful with dialects!). (10:30)

Some frequent mistakes Alida sees. (15:00)

How would you correct fragments. (17:14)

So how do I practice grammar? (25:20)

So what tools do we use to learn grammar. (28:33)

What if you don’t know what your problem is called? (32:20)

So how should you learn grammar? (35:00)

LINKS

Get Alida’s Writing Tips here.

Things we mentioned:

Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker
Grammar Girl
Grammarist
Grammarly

Have thoughts, questions, other examples? Join the conversation at the Story Works Writers Facebook group.

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Three times nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she is also a notable in Best American Essays and winner of the Page Turner Award. Author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series, Alida lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com