Tim Miller

, you bespoke:

There is *no* rule that says a writer has to uphold standards of grammar,
spelling, punctuation, etc.  There is no rule that says a writer has to
write *well*, or has to meet any standards of quality.  As Natalie
Goldberg put it in _Wild Mind_, "You are free to write the worst junk in
America." (Or in Canada, or Australia, or your city, or the world, or the
universe.

there may be no written rule that says you must write with good grammar
and spelling, but it seems to be a given.  if you write something you want
people to read and enjoy, you should be sure they *can* read it.  i don't
mean picky things, like not spacing twice after sentences or having small
tabs, but things like phasing in and out of tenses, using incomplete
sentences, overusing commas, stuff like that.

	So why are so many people taking off after Dr. Thinker? Goodness
knows *I* wrote a fairly scathing critique of one of his pieces, but since
then I've just let it go. Dr. Thinker's writing is, by most objective and
subjective standards, anywhere from bad to rotten to horrid to
(unprintable - no pun intended).
	*But that doesn't mean he has to fix it.*

no, it doesn't.  but he should take our comments in stride.  and,
personally, if i were him, i would look into working on my writing
techniques.  he can't expect us to truly enjoy his pieces when we can
barely make sense of them.

	Let me offer three names for you to consider: Alan Ginsberg, e. e.
cummings, and James Joyce. How did these three writers become famous?
	They broke the 'rules.' Alan Ginsberg's "Howl" was written with
the intent of breaking established rules about poetry; e. e. cummings
wrote without capitalization (and frequently without any punctuation, as I
recall). And James Joyce? He wrote two books which I am sure most of you
have heard of - or at least one, anyway: _Ulysses_ and _Finnegans Wake_.
_Ulysses_ was banned for obscenity; _Finnegans Wake_ is practically
written in another language.
	And the three of them are famous for it.
	So what's the difference between them and Dr. Thinker? I won't
speculate.

the difference is that Dr. Thinker is a prose writer and most of the above
mentioned authors were poets.  poetry is meant to break the rules of prose
writing.  when i want to do something totally free form, i'll write a
poem.  but i will not write a story/fanfic without checking to make sure
the whole thing makes sense.

besides, who am i to talk about form and style?  i don't even capitalize
stuff in my e-mails!  ^_^

My point is that Dr. Thinker doesn't have to write well. We're all telling
him to get a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a grammar handbook - maybe he
has them after all, and writes in his "mangled" style for a *reason*.

if his reason is to be humorous, he should mention it at the beginning of
the story.  he can save on criticisim by making sure we know ahead of time
that he intends to write like that.

	He doesn't have to "fix" the way he writes unless he wants to.
	And the rest of us don't have to like it, although we're certainly
welcome to.
	Having said this . . . I intend to read Dr. Thinker's next piece
of writing with an open mind, and I encourage the brave among you to do
the same - without flaming his writing afterwards.

just for the record, i may think not Dr. Thinker is the greatest writer in
the FFML, but i refuse to flame him for it.  if i *were* to offer him
suggestions, i would be at least civil, if not downright polite about it. 
nobody, no matter what, deserves to be flamed for trying.  flame the
flamers, but not those who didn't ask for it.

	And if you don't like it, you don't have to read anything else he
does write. Just keep an open mind, and remember that there really *are*
no unbreakable rules of writing - except one: to write. It doesn't have to
be good.

true; if you enjoy writing, then by all means, *do it.*  but don't be
suprised when someone comes knocking on your mailbox door, complaining
about your grammar/spelling/style/whatever.  and to those out there who
feel they must insult everyone who can't seem to live up to their
standards, think before you flame.  insults breed more insults. 
thoughtful suggestions can change things.

<insert standard "two cents" sentence here.>

elsetime,
nem0

Mr. O'Neil:  Let's all pledge to help make Daria's dream come true!
Daria:  You mean the one where people walking down the street burst into
flames?
visit the newly renovated DreamLand!
<=http://www.angelfire.com/mt/dland/index.html=>
i used to be fearful of the voice inside my head... and the foolish things
it said... -- The Rembrants