Hemingway and Grammar/Punctuation
Posted by Mark Shaw on July 9, 2008
Even though he is acknowledged as one of the greatest wordsmiths in history,Ernest Hemingway’s writings have been criticized over the years for many different reasons. In fact, there is whole book full of essays by so-called experts who attack his books on several levels. Some say his books were too macho, some too wordy, some not wordy enough, some too short, and some too long.
Regardless of the criticism, Merton have never been attacked for lack of expertise when it came to proper grammar and punctuation. Of course, he had editors at publishing companies who assisted him, but Hemingway prided himself on using grammar that was right on target, and punctuation with no mistakes.
Like him, Hemingwaywantabes, your writings must be perfect when it comes to grammar and punctuation. This is especially true if you have not had a book published. Then any query letters, book proposals, or manuscript text must be free of any errors. You only get one shot with literary agents and publishers, so you want your writing to be the very best it can be. Many times, it makes sense to hire an experienced, professional line editor to assist your efforts. They are located all around the world, and if you need a referral, please let me know.
In “How to Become a Published Author: A to Z,” there are grammar and punctuation exercises to test your skill level. They are available, as is the hwole book, free of charge on the pages noted above. Please give them a try and see how you do.
And, to test your skill reading this posting, please send me three problems there are with spelling, grammar, or punctuation. There are more than that, but let’s see how observant you are.
Daniel said
I think it was Faulkner who said something like, The artist doesn’t have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don’t have the time to read reviews. And so much for that said about Hemingway. I’ll admit, he’s not my favorite, but the man could tell a story and that’s what counts in my eyes. If you can’t tell a story, stay off the page. http://www.bentpage.wordpress.com.
Mark Shaw said
Right you are. So many aspiring writers forget that superb storytelling is critical to writing a publishable book. That’s why it is so important to do what Stephen King says in his book, On Writing: “Read a lot, and write a lot.” The more you do both, the better you get.
As I say in my seminars, “A Unique Story Idea + Great Writing + Correct Grammar and Punctuation + a Terrific Publishing Strategy = The Best Opportunity to Become Traditionally Published. No one may guarantee it, but with these qualities in order, the chances of becoming a published author are optimized.