This morning I received some wonderful feedback from a writer buddy of mine. She’s a talented writer and her editing skills are far better than my own, and she wanted to offer some thoughts on TICK to the TOCK.

She’s only a few pages into my New Adult Tale about Love & Living, but already she’s spotted a few potential issues. The section I’d like to highlight is this one:

“Do you cry? ask questions? get angry? say nothing?”

The advice - correct it is, too - is that the words ‘ask’, ‘get’, and ‘say’ should all begin with a capital letter. I did have a reason for this though, so I replied with:

“The lack of capitals after the question marks was purposeful. I wanted it to read like a single panicked sentence, if that makes sense. Not sure if it’s technically correct, but I’ve never been one to play by the rules.”

I’ve said for a while there are two types of reader: 1) The Editor — who reads each word. 2) The Non-Editor — who sees the story through the words.

I’m part of the latter, and as such I’m not a great editor — not just self-editing, but for other people, too. It’s not to say editors can’t enjoy a story or see the plot unravel, because they can and do. It means errors scream out at them.

For Non-Editors like me… well, we miss everything!

This morning made me consider writers in general, and how some are Grammar Jedis, and others Rule Breaking Siths.

I love to break the rules. I respect them and listen to them, and for the most part I obey them. HOWEVER, if I have an idea or some zany reason to break a rule or two, I do so and strut off into the sunset like James Dean.

I imagine Grammar Jedis hate writers like me. They know literature inside and out, and because such rule breaking craziness sticks out like a sore thumb, it must be annoying.

The thing is, Rule Breaking Siths don’t care because we’re crazy lunatics with no reason or ryhmme. Okay, that’s not true. We do care, and we do have reason, and for the most part we have ryhmme, too.

But Grammar Jedis frustrates us as much as we frustrate them, because we can’t comprehend why or how people obey the rules before them. They’re there to guide us, not dictate. If your imagination and creation seduces you down a particular dark path, go along for the ride because who knows what adventures exist along the way.

Now, this isn’t to say Rule Breaking Siths have free reign to do as they please. A spelling mistake is a spelling mistake. A double space is a double space. A cock up is a cock up no matter how imaginative you get with your excuses.

But I don’t think you should worry about the rules or what people say you can and can’t do. In my opinion, this is what being a creative is all about. We’re designed for non-conformity and to do whatever feels bubbly and crazy.

Saying that, I imagine a Grammar Jedi would say the rules are there for a reason, and that a lazy Yorkshire boy like me has no right to break them.

Of course, I could be talking nonsense — it wouldn’t be the first time. I like the idea that there’s two contrasting types of writer, though. One keeps the other under control, urging them to be tighter and neater and aligned with what people expect and desire.

The other pushes the boundaries at all times, ensuring nobody can settle and take things for granted. I don’t know about you, but I feel Grammar Jedis and Rule Breaking Siths can live in peace with one another — unlike in Star Wars where they are literally at war.

Turndog,