Yesterday, whilst cleaning out some papers, I came across a short story critique.

Actually, there were three critiques, for this short story had been entered in a contest. Oh, how funny, I thought, reading the comments. Because although I’d forgotten the critiques, I had not forgotten the story. I’d made corrections to that story, and in fact, I’d sold it to an anthology. So, I was smiling and reading, thinking back on good times, until I read this:

“This story has potential, but the many grammar errors need to be addressed.”

Now, you can say what you will about my lack of conflict in a plot. You can question my character’s motivation. You can even throw out the ubiquitous “this doesn’t work for me” comment. But nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Um, you know what I mean. I am not going to make a grammar error. Unless it’s something like this where, technically, I’m using blog slang. I mean, I read grammar books for pleasure. And whenever I find an interesting site, I bookmark it.

Which brings me to Jack Lynch’s Guide to Grammar and Style. And I’m going to peruse this lovely site in detail. But first, I have a critique to burn.