On Writing

It's been a while since I've written anything.  I can't say it's because I don't want to or can't.  I just haven't.

I've think part of it is because I've periodically been experiencing bouts of depression.  While the winter has been nice, it has been affecting me in more of a negative aspect.  I'm still discovering how my condition(s) affect me - apparently the cold and gray weather are no longer my friends.

It is my understanding that there are those out there that do miss my writings and ramblings.  I've heard from friends that they have family members that read this blog and wonder why I stopped.  I didn't even know they read it!  My own father-in-law has asked why I stopped.  Truthfully, it is hard to believe there are people reading this.  Yes, I look at the stats of the blog and can see there are a few people who take a look at it - some from around the world!  I rarely see any comments on the writing.

I know it is not essential or even required to leave a comment about reading an article or ramble.  I'm guilty myself.  I only leave comments on things I've seen that have really struck me in some strong way.  I don't mean to sound like I'm begging for a comment.  That is by no means my intention, but it is nice to know when my words have meant something to someone.

ANYWAY, that's not why I'm writing today.  That's just to let everyone know I am still alive and okay.

As I sit hear with lazy Jack snoring beside me, I'm impelled to discuss my views on some writing I've seen recently.  I say views, but it is really more of a selection of pet peeves.

I've recently read some short horror stories by an author published on Smashwords.com.  I am sure he's a cool guy and has some great ideas.  In fact, some of his stories are creative, but...

While I will not sit here and say that my writing is the best in the world and English was my best subject in school, but his writing skills are atrocious.  I really had to check out his website to understand this guy is an adult.  The stories he has written seem to be written by a kid in elementary school; I'm sure there are some kids that would write - and talk - with some of the language he uses.

Please understand that I am in no way offended by a sailor's mouth.  The language is not a problem for me.  The grammar, on the other hand, is a big issue.  First off, many people understandably use spell check.  Spell check is our friend!  Unfortunately, many forget about homophones!  In the stories I've read, I don't think I've found many correct usages of any of the derivatives of the word "there".  You know - there, their or they're.  It would be nice if there were a spell check that would catch homophonic mistakes.

Of course, those are not the only mistakes that have driven my mental editor crazy.  Completely misspelling a word as another word that is spelled correctly is a mistake that is very hard to accomplish.  It has been done, though.  One story I read had a part in which the character was imagining something.  The problem was that the character was "imaging" it instead of "imagining" it.

I also don't know how many more times I can tolerate one of his characters saying they seen something.  Come on people, you either saw it or you have seen it.  There's nothing in between.

Now, let's talk about sentence structure.  I don't mean the fact that there should be a noun and verb, etc.  I'm talking about run-on sentences.  We've all seen them.  I know several people that seem to only write in run-ons!  I've read posts on Facebook that drive me nuts!

i went out today and i cant believe what happened that stupid person ran me off the road on theyre way to work i dont know what im supposed to do it made me so mad

Wow! I almost didn't make it through writing that sentence!

At least, the author I'm referring to uses capitals.  He also uses punctuation... Much, too much, punctuation.  This guy bleeds commas.

That's what has been driving me insane for the last couple of days.  The worst part is that, for some reason, I keep reading his stories.  It's as if I am convinced I can find one - JUST ONE - that has no issues.  I'm not losing anything from it, except maybe a few brain cells.  His short stories are free and many are based on urban legends, which are somewhat entertaining.

If you want to check out some of these stories and see for yourself what they are like, look for Drac Von Stoller on Nook, Kindle, Smashwords or any other e-book outlet.  You can also see his website at http://dracvonstoller.wix.com/drac.

Will you be scared more by his words or his style of writing?