This is a question our culture seems to be still trying to figure out. Yesterday Kate Lawrence explored this question in a blog post about her books’ main character, Yamabuki, a historical woman samurai in 12th-century Japan.
Time to close the browser.
If you have nothing to say, jot it down. If you have something to say, jot it down. Just jot it down, and sort it out later.
When we write, we’re sharing a piece of ourselves, as transformed through our novel or short story memoir or even non-fiction book. Often it can get emotional, and that’s not always an easy place to get to. Our performance on paper (or in the word processor—you know what I mean) requires us to be ready to get to that place, mentally, emotionally. And in this, what we do on paper is not unlike what actors do on stage and in film....
I confess, I love language. I love grammar. I enjoy well-written prose that demonstrates creative elegance while still conforming to the rules. Even so, Stephen Fry truly nails it here in a rebuttal to people who are far worse than I am (I think). via Hillary Kelly, The New Republic