Attempting to ignore my ill-health, it’s time for my monthly post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day.
January 4th Question: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?
As there are a few rules that I wish I’d never heard, it seems easiest to start with the first one I broke.
At school in the 1960s and 1970s, my teachers tried hard to teach me, and other students, not to split our infinitives, ever. I never felt that these teachers gave me a reasonable explanation, so when the split infinitive worked, I insisted that I had the right, in the words of Star Trek “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” This usage seemed appropriate as many of my earliest short story attempts were SF.
I felt justified in breaking this cardinal rule when I later heard that the first English Grammar used Latin Grammars as its basis – the Latin infinitive is one word so can’t be split. To my mind, that explained why my teachers, most of them trained in Latin, stuck to the rule.
I have since discovered that although many authorities quote the Latin argument, others point to different 19th-century grammarians for the rule’s origin. Check out these links if you want to know more about split infinitives:
http://www.grammar.com/split-infinitives-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_infinitive
http://grammarist.com/grammar/split-infinitives/
As for me, I learned as a teenager that there were writing rules that needed questioning, and fifty years later nothing has changed, and I welcome excuses to break rules.
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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
Please visit others in the group and connect with my fellow writers.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
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Our revved up IWSG Day question may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
The awesome co-hosts for this January 4th posting of the IWSG are Eva @ Lillicasplace,
Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, and Heather Gardner.
Writing Wings 
I firmly belive that if it extresses exactly what you want, then you should do it, no matter what rules say.
This is different from ingnoring the rules. I feel many beginning writers think that not bothering about the rules is cutting edge and bold. Personally, I think that if you don’t know the rules and you don’t muster them skillfully, you’ll never be able to break them in a creative way.
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Agree, Sarah, unless we know the rules then breaking them is reckless.
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Hope you’re feeling better, Roland. I’ve found the opposite with new writers. They learn the rules and refuse to bulge. They lose their unique voice. Sad.
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Health still bad, so doing minimum. Think I learned rules at rebellious stage of life……………………..
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Following a Latin rule? I’d say that’s a really outdated rule. I learned another rule about head-hopping was invented in the 80’s. Funny where these rules come from.
Sorry you are struggling health-wise.
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Hi Alex, but then “I am more an antique Roman than a Dane” or rather I was schooled by classics trained teachers. Health is poor, but I have good carers – unlike Hamlet.
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I had no idea about the origins of the split infinitive rule. Very interesting. The more I learn about the history of all these writing rules, the more I’m tempted to break them.
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I discovered about the Latin origin in my late teens/ early twenties, but the 19th-century craziness was when I researched this post. As you say, Ellen, it’s enough to tempt one to break other rules. 😉
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If the sentence makes sense and reads better, then no harm, no foul. 🙂
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That has to be the final decider, Chrys – thanks.
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