A reader wanted to know why in my literary novel,
The Wind Thief, I sometimes start sentences with
But...:
I have been told that this is a "no,no", and I think some people have said it is okay to break the rules as long as it is done right. What is the reason you did this, just so that I can understand?
This question cuts to the heart of writing: Do we writers follow the accepted rules of writing regarding sentence structure, word usage, spelling, punctuation and grammar to be sure we're being clear with and courteous to readers? Or do we risk absolute clarity and break the rules in order to create a one-of-a-kind experience for readers?
The answer is, that depends on your audience. If you're writing genre fiction such as romance or mysteries or even mainstream fiction, you're expected to make clarity paramount. That doesn't mean your writing is artless, but rather that if you've got a choice between using a direct way of depicting what's going on and an avenue that might be open to interpretation, thus endangering readers' understanding, you should choose clarity.
If you're writing literary fiction or nonfiction, readers expect you to experiment more with sentence structure and word choice, even if that means breaking rules, because the goal of such writing is to make readers find the meaning.
If you plan to break the rules, however, you should know why you're breaking them and have a specific goal in mind regarding the type of effect you're trying to create. Trying something new is usually always satisfying, but if you find out through the critique process that the experiment doesn't work and proves frustrating for readers, you should be willing to drop the attempt. You should also realize that breaking standard rules might shrink your readership, given the harder you make readers work, the fewer readers you'll have.
In the above question, starting a sentence with
but is not grammatically incorrect. Rather, starting with such a
conjunction is considered by some to be clunky and unnecessary. Starting with
but, however:
• mimics real speech (i.e., "I don't like him. But you know what, maybe he doesn't like himself.")
• creates a staccato rhythm (i.e., "He could go. But then he might die.")
• gives the impression of continued thought. (i.e., "She decided not to go. But still she worried.")
In the case of my book, the last two were of import for creating a brief, somewhat harsh feel that reflects the brutal landscape of the Sahara Desert.
Do you break rules? Which ones? Why?
Happy writing!
Posts
