writing in and of itself is something that
many people have any number of methods of accomplishing but the standard rules
apply at least in theory.
See that last part? Its my way of capturing your attention, YES the grammar is wrong, Yes its an unorthodox method. But who is really in charge? The Writer or the RULES, 0Ther people go and apply to those writers. I d0n’t see why i sh0uldn’t replace all my O’s with Zer0s, if you can understand what i sai i shud be able to write anything in any form with any spelling so long as the understanding is there:
Then again, I could always play by the established rules so that my words are perfect but my message might be somewhat dulled down. I happen to know many peolpe who write technically proficient papers, but that are soulless pieces of writing that id rather burn then read. Time one again to break some rules, im gonna tell you (yes i said you) what this essay about, its about writing and how i do it differently from other folk wether they like it or not.
Guitarists are a fairly common breed in the world of music, and as a guitarist i am below where i should be. Why might that be? Well it comes from the fact that all of the most technically adept players i know are in fact soulless machines who can mover there fingers much swifter then I can. Do i hate them for it? Not so much, but i don’t listen to their tunes either. The again i know people who can throw down with the best, but choose the unothodox styles to better suit their message. I play guitar and bass because i love music and i love communicating. My musical vocabulary exceeds many other, but in musical terms, i have sloppy handwriting. This can also be said of my writing. I write how i speak. Short precise bursts punctuated by intense and obscure words that i don’t try to weave in to sound smart but have naturally picked up upon out my love of reading and other forms of communication. My grandfather is a polyglot, my grandmother a well versed teacher, my mother is also and educator as is my father who teaches public speaking and mass communication. Through much inference on my part, i have discovered that those who communicate the most effectively don’t obsess over the details and minutae that goes into writing or speaking. Hitler was one crazy person, but he had it. He had a casual disregard for established norms that allowed him to get everyones attention and make sure they payed attention to the CONTENT, and not the FORM. There i did it again, i not only use ALL CAPS, but i broke the 4th wall so that YOU, my audience can better process what im saying.
From here i must go off onto a tangent about L33t and slang. I could go about my days and filter out the uncouth words i use. Or i could embrace the fact that many people now can totally understand what im saying if i were to type in al symbols. My slang also comes from many places, i take a little bit of other languages, mix it with the ghettoism and the ebonics i hear all the time, throw in a dash of jargon or technical terminology and hope that someone out there will know what im refering too or saying. Why do i talk like that instead of a canned robot? Because i like flavour as opposed to consistency, give me homemade mac n’ cheese with some odd ingredients to kraft dinners any day. Why should i keep my mouth in check when my brain is wiling out and throwing down short ciphers for my fellow verbal travelers to decode. Sorry but i like to think, and id hope my compatriots out there do as well. I liken my verbal skills with the Drunken Style of Kungfu. Sloppy seeming to lure people off guard and disregard me, then i hope to get a critical strike in with a great amount of force. Im not sayimg im some poet or abstract philosopher, but id rather speak in riddles and limericks then allow myself to repeat canned phrases in my writing.
I could (could being the operative word) follow all of the rules, i could also use sulfuric acid as a mouthwash. I think both methods would be appropriate methods of silencing me. My tounge or in this case my fingers are my liquid swords. I try to be versatile to be able to play by the rules when i abosolutely must. Usually that involves orthodox professors who are so hopped up on form that they disregard the content. Bringing it back to what i was saying about the supposed orthodoxy of writing. If its an art form, then like artists why are the inspired amateurs always the ‘writers’ and all the people who went to the school for that subject the ‘critics’ ive never heard of a great author coming from the ranks of the English Majors, it always seems like someone with some real shit to say, (J.K. Rowling for example) comes along and wipes the floor with the properly educated. That being said, to some extent there is the opposite as well, Tolkien one of my most favoured authors penned his books with such strict grammar as to make them bibical sounding at time, but they kept up with content. He was just a master of the style and put so much power and info to his form that they worked seamlessly. I dont think that i or my peers are able to master that art just yet.
Now im not saying that i am opposed to form, function, and an established norm. Because you cant have aberrations without them. You cant have unorthodox without orthodox, you cant have bizzare without normal. The 2 both fufill important purposes. I know id get a hell of a lot less out of an article if a writer were to report like i write. But then again, he isnt writing for artistry (goddamn i hate that term and concept) he is Reporting, which is supposted to be staid and somewhat scientific. Presenting facts is not something even i would difress from in the name of artistry. I appreciate those who write technically profiecient papers, they all should enjoy their hard earned grades. I appreciate them because they they are the yin to my yang, my professors would be less interested in my spiels if the others wrote in my style and im eternaly grateful to those who built the columns modern english is based upon.
Well, there you have it. The 2 sides to the same coin, the 2 sides to the same brain and the 2 methods with which i will conduct my war of words with the worldwide watchers of all things written. From the order i can create chaos, and from the chaos i can report the order and present things in a more mutually understandable form. All i have to add to that is that i hope this paper doesnt violate the sanctity of Academia and make me sound as some pompous heathen who doenst know when to shut up. Thank you and good night.
October 25, 2009, 8:10pm Comments
