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The order of things … rules are meant to be broken sometimes

Monday, 10 January 2011  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

Okay, today’s coffee is Starbuck’s  French Roast with vanilla creamer. It’s my drug of choice these days, since I was stupid enough to answer the phone and agree to go back to work temporarily part-time at my old company. With all the holiday happenings, adjusting to work, and the mother board on my computer blowing out (sounds like something from Star Wars, yeah?) has put me way behind on posting on my blog and revising my novel. This morning I woke up feeling less stress, since I was able to finish some long promised critiques. Tonight, I hope to get a lot of reading done on blog sites, which I’m excited about. I think I finally have a schedule down.

With that said, my son asked me the other day what syntax was, he actually joked that it sounded like Anthrax, which was close, in my opinion. When I first started writing, syntax was a hard thing to understand. It’s simply the order of things in your sentences and phrases. Normal syntax is a basic pattern of subject, verb and object order.

Irregular syntax is like speaking like Yoda, such as “A cup of coffee she did drink.” It mixes the normal order of a sentence. As writers we can use irregular syntax sprinkled throughout our novels in a more poetic effect. Such as this, “In a feeling of uncertainty, we looked longingly face to face, my eyes on him as his on me, within our tight embrace.” It’s probably a poor example, but there you have it, an irregular syntax.

So, if game you are, post a comment in irregular syntax form for fun. I leave you with an irregular syntax quote from a very famous little person, which I feel is perfect for describing our paths to getting published.

Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.
— Yoda

One more thing, I will be having another blogfest contest coming up with prizes so check back soon.

Filed: Misc

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