All of the critics loved it because it didn't have what they hated. None of those pesky adverbs, split infinitives, extraneous punctuation marks, misused phrases, bad spelling, or any other bad habits writers are prone to perpetrate.
It was a perfect blank page.
*laughs* But in a rueful way.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to become so paralyzed by fear of breaking the "rules" that we can't write at all. I say break any rule you want--as long as it works. :)
I like it! :D
ReplyDelete@Linda G. - Ha! I'm definitely a rebel myself and don't tend to worry overmuch about these things. (My writing goal is to be a beloved hack.) Was inspired by "The Death of the Adverb" on @4evermore's blog. And, well, a million other little things I've encountered.
ReplyDelete@j.leigh.bailey - thanks! Doesn't it feel like it's the only thing that will make "them" happy sometimes?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteHee hee, nice one!
best
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That was awesome!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the whole anti-adverb thing gets under my skin. I understand the reasoning behind it - there is a lot of stuff out there that could benefit from swapping an adverb-verb combo with a stronger verb.
But it's not warranted in every case. Sometimes the cadence of the sentence blossoms with the use of a one- or two-syllable adverb.
So I still use them (including the dreaded -ly words), but I use them sparingly. :)
Great post, btw!
Ha! There's humour in truth with this piece Sue. Personally I think adverbs, split infinitives etc have their place sometimes; just know the rules, know why they're there, and then be free to break them.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I kind of like the idea of sending a blank page to an agent or publisher, with a note attached saying it's a modern art piece: the written equivalant of John Cage's composition 4'33".
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ReplyDeleteNo kidding!
ReplyDeleteSome people get a little too caught up in abiding by all the rules of the day and totally miss the point of writing and reading.
Very clever post. Love how you make such a big point with so few words.
Ha! Very funny (and possibly very true....)
ReplyDeleteI just started following you by the way, hello!
"Salah sets a new record>> Rooney's old record has been destroyed."
ReplyDeleteI will be looking forward to your next post. Thank you
ReplyDeleteพิธีพระราชทานเพลิงศพ แม่ทุม ปทุมวดี เต็มไปด้วยความโศกเศร้า