04-02-2013, 07:25 PM
Always happy to call anyone out on their authoritative ideas 
Really, aside from some very basic rules of thumb (cliches are boring and pointless, too many modifiers lead to lack of substance, write a poem not a diary entry etc) everything else is a matter of trend and will vary depending on where you learned to write and from whom. Any of these trends in the wrong hands can be tedious. Only by reading widely can we appreciate just how many different ways there are to say things.
But AJ, we all have our moments of despair. We all stamp our feet and swear we'll never write again. We all think billy's a rotten sod and want to shout it up a pig's arse. Anyone who says otherwise is a... wait, what were we talking about again?
I think this sort of discussion is just as valuable as any other. It doesn't hurt to be reminded that we're real people behind the screens.
Really, aside from some very basic rules of thumb (cliches are boring and pointless, too many modifiers lead to lack of substance, write a poem not a diary entry etc) everything else is a matter of trend and will vary depending on where you learned to write and from whom. Any of these trends in the wrong hands can be tedious. Only by reading widely can we appreciate just how many different ways there are to say things.
But AJ, we all have our moments of despair. We all stamp our feet and swear we'll never write again. We all think billy's a rotten sod and want to shout it up a pig's arse. Anyone who says otherwise is a... wait, what were we talking about again?
I think this sort of discussion is just as valuable as any other. It doesn't hurt to be reminded that we're real people behind the screens.
It could be worse