Cuz I ain't gonna take No Mo'

So, today was not a good day in the life of Bri! In all honesty, I wish this day had never really happened. All I can say is that the worst seems to be over and things are looking up. I think that's just because bedtime is drawing near. Yeah!

The highlight of my day was coming home to dinner cooked by my hubby. So what it if was tuna out of a pouch. LOL! We are trying to clean our our pantry so that's what he grabbed. The homemade mashed potatoes were super yummy though. Gotta love a man who cooks!

The downside of my day was finding out that my writing is not always grammatically correct. If you've read my blog then you've probably already noticed this. If you've been around since the evolution of the .com boom and texting craze (my guess is that would be all of you) then I would venture a guess that you've seen the new "shorthand" (for lack of a better word) style of writing. Unless the content is business-related, I often use an informal "web" style when blogging; writing; or sending e-mails to friends, family, and co-workers. So what if I use a lot of ellipsis and exclamation points (blame it on the chat rooms)!? Well, apparently it counts if you work in an office full of writers and editors.

I don't do a lot of editing in my job because I've got other things on my plate. I handle the more technical side of things. At least this has always been my excuse for the lack of editing. Today I mentioned that I'd like to do more editing. It was then pointed out to me (in as polite a tone as possible) that I am lacking when it comes to the proper use of grammar. The statement didn't really bother me at first. I will be the first to admit that I had blanked out some of those grammar lessons in school. I also know that I don't always put commas, periods, and quotation marks in the right place but rather go with what looks right.

I was back at my desk when the comment hit me hard. It took me a lot longer to answer e-mail this afternoon (a huge part of my job). All I could think of was whether or not I was using proper punctuation or if i had words in the wrong place. I'm sure that if someone had told me I spelled my name wrong I would have believed them. It was bad and I was in tears.

Ever since I was a little girl, I had dreamed of becoming a writer. I received high grades and lots of praise in my English composition classes, both in high school and college. I was told I had a natural talent for writing. Perhaps all of those people were just baffling me with BS! Surely I didn't just fake my understanding of English and Grammar.

Writing is so personal. Depending on the intent of the content, it seems homicidal to rip someone's personal thoughts apart just because a quotation mark or comma is in the wrong place. My belief is that you fix what's wrong without changing the meaning. I guess that's probably why I'm editing (though I'm not afraid of the red pen). I'm sure I'm guilty of using misplaced modifiers and dangling participles. Huh? Um Yeah...my thoughts exactly! The majority of us in the real world haven't a clue what these are. We just want what we're reading to make sense.

So, where am I going with this rambling post? Why, no where of course! Did you forget that I'm grammatically inept? In fact, if you majored in English and are reading this I am sure you are horrified. Please accept my apologies.

Anyway, in the midst of feeling sorry for myself I received an e-mail from my mom who knew nothing about the situation that had just transpired. She was e-mailing with regard to my blog post on my hometown Gazette's blog. She said, "you have such a wonderful gift of communicating through any of your writings."  I really REALLY needed to read that. This isn't the first time I'd been told by someone that they liked my writing. A lot of people have told me they could tell I wrote from the heart. I responded to my mom by telling her what had happened and that I really needed to hear her words. I also said, "I am glad that I never pursued an English degree because it would have only taken away from the originality of my writing." And, being the typical smarta$$ I added. "I’m ready to quit the professional world…cuz I ain’t gonna take it no mo’! How’s that for grammar!?" 

So, I feel better after venting. My "hometown" blog can be found at http://www.mccookgazette.com/blogs/1473/. Looking past all of the grammatical flaws, can you tell me if I really am that bad of a writer? Sigh!