Grammar ain't all that | Life of an Architect

For those of you who have been through Life of an Architect before, you will know that I take a lot of liberties with my ?grammar?. That?s right, I am a bad boy when it comes to following some of the rules but at this point ? some 350+ posts later ? that cat?s been let out the bag and I don?t really care. That?s because I have developed a writing style that I like to call ?I type it just like I thought it out in my head? [yeah ... that's a bad-ass title]

? I?m not writing a technical manual here ? I am trying to get you to read what I am ?saying.?

Since I get some grammar police on my back from time to time, I need you busybody people to understand that I think faster than I type and when I make a mistake, it?s on purpose. Well? sort of. For the record, I always spell check so it isn?t too often that I misspell a word. I might use the wrong word but that mo-fo will be spelled correctly.

(did you notice how I used the right version of ?too? instead of ?to?? I get that right sometimes?)

So yes, my writing style is a written version of my talking style minus the wild arm gesticulations and the appropriate regional dialect. I scatter commas into my?sentences?like buckshot ? but I?m not writing a technical manual here ? I am trying to get you to read what I am ?saying.? It?s not as easy as it looks.

When is the right time to add a dot dot dot? Hmmmm ? I wonder?

How about dealing with a sentence that goes on and on and on ? maybe a dash would fit the bill? Sometimes I use dashes when I want the reader to ?hear? what I wrote as if I was speaking under my breath. As it turns out, there are loads of examples of speaking under my breath in. this. very. post!

How do you convey a conversation with yourself or show what you are thinking? (because in my blog world, that?s important)

Bob: I wonder if this post will make any sense?

Inner Bob (who also happens to be much better looking):?Your readers are super smart, I?m sure they?ll understand.

Bob: I don?t know. I?m not all that sure that I understand. You know I?m making this up as I go right?

Inner Bob:?Of course I do, who do you think is actually coming up with all this stuff in the first place?

Bob: think they know that I use italics whenever I am thinking inside my head?

Inner Bob: They do now ?

I could go on for a while but I think the idea of my post is established now. I am sure there are rules for all the things I do in an effort to convey the conversational tones of my blog posts. While I don?t know if you literally get it, I do know that people recognize that there is a purposeful style to how I write.

Wow ? okay. For the record, I almost barfed when I wrote that I ?write? because I don?t write. I speak and then I type (or more specifically I think and then I type, and clearly I don?t think all that much before I type).?

I read a post on the Harvard Business Review titled ?I Won?t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here?s Why? and I thought ?Oh my Gawd, I could never work for that guy because my grammar sucks?. Don?t worry about?why I was reading the Harvard Business Journal and don?t worry about the fact that I wouldn?t want to work for that guy anyway. The point is that I write a bunch of garbage (re: this post in particular) and stick it out there for anybody to read knowing that there are most likely grammar mistakes. I also know that it is easy to judge somebody by the quality of their writing (I do it) ? I?m just not sure my sort of ?writing? qualifies as actual ?writing.

There is something inherent about a blog that implies spur of the moment stream of consciousness sort of sharing. I don?t agonize over how the content is delivered or whether or not how I write is as important as the message I am trying to convey. Of course, if the message is lost because the grammar is so terrible that the posts are agonizing to read ? that?s a different story ? err, conversation.

How about proof-reading? Sure, of course I proof read, but since the time span from when I wrote it to when I am proof-reading it is typically nothing, my brain fixes the errors internally when I am reading what I just wrote. If you write I think you?ll understand what I just said. After a few hours of sleep, I almost always find a few things I would like to change when I go back and read what I wrote. Unfortunately I am not programmed to work like that. I get an idea or an itch to talk about something and it just pours out of my head ? as soon as I take out the trash and clean the litter box. I try to type as fast as I can to keep up and then hit the ?publish button?. Maybe not the smartest thing to do but with the exception of a handful of people who feel the need to publicly correct a typo or grammar error -?which is a total jerk move by the way. Besides, I?ll go back and fix it and when people read the comment you left pointing out a mistake that doesn?t exist anymore guess who looks like the dolt? Most people I don?t think care too strongly one way or the other. Typos and grammar issues in blogs such as mine don?t bother me as much as articles that I read in magazines, newspapers ? anywhere an article is written for pay or isn?t on a blog.

Maybe it?s a characteristic of architects to always have a ?work in progress? view towards things?

Or maybe I?m on an island here ?

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Source: http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/grammar-aint-all-that/

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