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A lament for grammar
It’s not National Grammar Day (that’s March 4), but I can’t wait. When did people stop being able to write properly? My inbox is awash with writing containing misplaced commas, apostrophes and hyphens where they shouldn’t be, and missing where they should appear. Comma splices abound and if I have to explain the subjunctive tense (If I were…) or the difference between ‘that’ and ‘who’ (and ‘whom’ for that matter) one more time, I think I might scream. Don’t get me wrong – I know that language evolves, and situational usage means different rules. There are places where it’s absolutely right… Read more…
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From the cutting room floor: A little bit of onion, a little ketchup
A lot ends up on the proverbial cutting room floor in the editing process of a book. One casualty of trimming Another Glass of Tea down to an appropriate length was a scene of a concert that the main character Fiona and her friends attend. They go to hear storied singer Barış Manço in a small venue and dance and sing wildly like the teenagers they are. Barış Manço Museum In my own year, I was fortunate enough to see Barış Manço in concert. And yes, I admit that scene did bear some resemblance to my own memories. I never quite understood the… Read more…
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For the love of words
It’s no secret that I love words. As a kid, my parents nicknamed me “Chatty Kathy”, but I was just as much at ease with my pencil and notebook as I was chattering away at the dinner table. I think I get this naturally. I’ve written before about how my Grandfather helped me write an April Fool’s story for a friend, and my Mum writes a column for her local newspaper. As I grew older, my pencil was replaced first by a typewriter and then a computer, but for me wordplay has always been a means of telling stories –… Read more…
