There are no absolute rules
for writing!
The "good news" is writing is a transactional
process—you are changed by what you write
just as the writing changes as you're producing
it.
That means:
- You're free to experiment
- You're free to invent your own way of expressing
your thoughts
- You can break the "rules" in grammar
books and style guides
- The sky's the limit
The "bad news" is writing involves making
decisions. When you ask yourself a question about
some aspect of writing, the answer will be "It
depends...."
Your decisions are affected by many factors:
- The purpose of the writing
- Who you're writing it for
- How expert your audience is
- How widely it will be disseminated
- How much time you have to work through it
Remember, style guides only offer suggestions.
Even spelling isn't absolute—are you using
American, British or Canadian English? While there
is pressure
towards standard grammar and spelling, understand
that these aspects of language are constantly changing.
Your best resource is other authors. Read
to see how other authors have done what you're trying
to
do.
There's
a wide range of writing available—some of
it reader friendly, a lot of it puts obstacles in
the reader's way. Try to "feel" what those
authors who make it easy for you to understand have
done with their writing. Emulate it.
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