Why Grammar Matters in Fiction, with Jenny Baranick

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Welcome to the Inside Creative Writing podcast, the weekly discussion of craft and technique for writers of fiction and creative nonfiction. And now here's your host, writer and educator, Brad Reed. Episode 4, it might be the least popular subject for creative writers, grammar. Jenny Buranek, the author of a laugh-out-loud funny book on grammar, is on the show today, and she just might change your mind.

Reframing Grammar's Importance

So what comes to your mind when I say the word grammar? Do you have flashbacks to a middle-school classroom and a stuffy old textbook? Maybe it brings images of red ink slashed across your essays. Today we're going to try to replace those less-than-pleasant associations with grammar and show us instead how it can be a powerful and even fun tool to bring to our writing. Before we get to today's interview, I want to give you a new perspective on grammar and why we, as creative writers, should care about it.

Here's an analogy that I hope will help. You see, I've played guitar for years, decades now, but if you ask me to do anything but play rhythm guitar, I mean, if you ask me to solo, for example, you'd quickly realize that I'm a hack. For all the time I've put into playing the guitar, I'm lacking some of the most basic skills. Why is that? Well, because I hated doing scales. I hated it.

But here's the catch. Because I ignored doing scales, I never developed the skills to solo on guitar. In other words, my creativity, my ability to improvise, my ability to get my instrument to make the music I could hear in my head, was compromised. And that's what grammar is for creative writing. We love creative writing in part because we can break grammar rules and improvise however we like.

But if we haven't learned our skills, our grammar, then we'll never truly be able to get the words down on paper like we hear them in our heads. Grammar, things like complex punctuation or complex sentence structures, not to mention the basic grammar of commas and periods, is the fundamental tool of written language. We can accomplish things with proper grammar use that we can't accomplish any other way. And when we use grammar correctly in our writing, the places where we break those rules become even more powerful. And grammar doesn't have to be stuffy, stiff, and boring.

Introducing Jenny Buranek

But enough about my thoughts on grammar. Let's bring in an expert. My guest today is Jenny Buranek. She teaches English composition, critical thinking, and a remedial English class called Writing Skills at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She's also a creative writer, and after being shocked at her students' lack of grammar awareness, she's written a really funny, sometimes risque, book about, of all things, grammar. The title alone should suggest that this isn't your typical grammar book.

It's called Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares, How to Avoid Unplanned and Unwanted Writing Errors. Welcome to the show, Jenny. Thank you.

Now, first of all, you and I exchanged a few emails setting up today's interview, and I found myself double and triple checking my grammar. I even went back and read a few of them after I'd sent them and found some glaring grammar errors. I was mortified. Do you find that people are hesitant to write to you as a grammar expert? Yes. Yeah, people are always telling me that they're afraid to email me because they think I'm going to judge their grammar, which I'm not very judgmental.

That's probably a good quality in a grammar teacher. That hasn't always been true with my grammar teachers. I can certainly say that.

So how exactly does someone become passionate about grammar? I just can't quite get my mind around that. Yeah, I'm kind of surprised that it happened to me as well. Well, I've always been passionate about writing. Like, I've read my whole life. I was an English major.

So I was always passionate about the written word. I think I became passionate about grammar the way people become passionate about endangered species because when I started actually teaching college English and I would see the grammar in my students' essays, but mostly actually in their emails, I realized how important it was and also how lacking it was. And so I kind of made it my mission to raise awareness and make people not aware of all the little grammar, the more detailed stuff, but the really important stuff that I was noticing that people were missing. Yeah, I have a feeling there might be quite a few writers out there that would agree with your metaphor as grammar as endangered species. Probably a lot of other writing teachers as well.

Challenges Writers Face with Grammar

So why do you think it is that so many writers are intimidated by grammar rules? Well, what I found through my students is that, first of all, I don't think, and this is a generalization, I don't mean this for all, you know, English teachers, but I don't think that grammar is being reinforced throughout their education. Not only reinforced, but even that it's important, that teachers aren't even telling them it's important. It's important how creative you are, but it's not important to have the grammar. By the time they get to college, they have even forgotten all the, you know, I had this terribly awkward situation in my class where I thought playing Mad Libs would have been fun, you know, like a fun introduction to a grammar class. My students didn't even know what a noun was or an adverb or a verb.

So even those, what we think of as the more common terms, they don't know. So when you open up a grammar book and you want to brush up on your commas and you're reading words like coordinating conjunction and nonrestrictive clause, you're just like, oh my gosh, I'm sort of the monger I can do or something, you know? You know, it seems like creative writers, or at least creative writing, we have kind of a license to not know our grammar. You know what I mean by that is it's the one form of writing where we can, I think, sort of convince ourselves that grammar isn't that important, that we can break the rules, therefore maybe we don't need to know the rules. Why do you think it is important for creative writers to know their grammar? Well, first of all, it's like I tell my students, you can have the most beautiful language and you can have the most profound thoughts that you communicated on your paper, but if it's riddled with grammatical errors, I think people will get caught up in that and they won't even see what you're saying.

I think it looks unprofessional and sloppy. And I also think that you can use, like, especially punctuation, to speed up your writing, to slow down your writing, to get people to pause, to kind of like, I don't know, do you play music or read music? I do, actually, yeah. Kind of like how if you really know how to read music and you can see where you're supposed to hold something for longer or pause or crescendo. I mean, you can really do that with punctuation as well.

So it can be a tool that you can use to be more creative. Yeah, I think that's a great insight on it. I know that as I've, I'm certainly no expert on grammar, but I know that as I've gotten more of a hold on it and how it works, that it's become less intimidating, you know, less something that stalls me when I'm writing and more something that I can use as that tool. Just like you say, to put in those dramatic pauses at important places. And that leads me into a question that I've been pondering a little bit lately. I actually read a book once where the author said that creative writers shouldn't ever use complex punctuation like semicolons or commas, you know, in longer complex sentences or colons because it just confuses our readers.

You know, since so many people seem unfamiliar with how to use them, that they're also unfamiliar with how to read them. And I've always been curious if that's true or if as readers, whether we understand the way to use them or not, whether we read them intuitively. Does that make sense? No, it makes sense. I don't know. I've never, it was like Kurt Vonnegut.

He hates the semicolon. Actually, my only experience with, I wouldn't really know how other people read, but if I have my students, for example, read out loud, I've never seen them trip up by the punctuation. What I have seen is sometimes I'll ask my students, you know, why did you use a semicolon there? And they'll be like, oh, I just wanted to look smart. That will screw up a reader.

So I would say if you don't know how to use them and you're not comfortable, stay away from it. But I don't know. I mean, I can't say for sure, but I've never heard that before or seen that happen with my students. Yeah, I think I've noticed the same thing. I did some volunteer work at a local high school here where I'd read with some of the kids who were just having struggles with their reading work. And it seemed like what they would do when they approached punctuation they didn't know, was just pretend like it wasn't there.

You know, they just read right through it. And for some of these kids, it was periods and commas that they weren't comfortable with. They were at that level.

So they just, I mean, it didn't, it certainly didn't get in their way, you know, and some of them are meant to get in their way and they just blow right by them. So I hate to see people not use them because they are so powerful, really. I mean, to link two sentences together with a semicolon, you know, you can accomplish something with that that you can't accomplish any other way.

So I can't imagine. Yeah, if you want to read them in your writing. Yeah, I love that. Yeah.

Common Grammar Errors

So what are the most common errors that you see creative This is what they do for our writing and how we can use them correctly. Well, one thing I love about them is, because the exclamation point has such a bad reputation, I think because people are overusing it so much and sometimes people think it's a bit too perky, I think that the em dash can give emphasis, but it's a little, I don't know, classier, more elegant. I also like it, because I'm kind of a parenthesis, I overuse parentheses, you know, when you're trying to say something like, by the way.

But the dash kind of lets you do it the opposite. Like it lets you have a by the way that you kind of want to emphasize, in the middle of your sentence. So I really like that. And also when you're using commas in the middle of your sentence and you have the dash to set that off, so that your sentence is clear. Yeah, I love the em dash. Yeah, I do too.

I tend to be an overuser of the em dash. And I'm glad you mentioned their similarity to parentheses, at least in the way they function. I was actually going to use this opportunity to have my, you know, a question of my own personal grammar expert here on my own writing. Because I do tend to think that they can replace when you'll use parentheses, but they kind of do the opposite thing, don't they? A parentheses, when I read, I almost want to skip over as if it's not as important, but when I see that same verbiage set off in em dashes, it seems to lift it as being more important somehow. Would you say that's correct?

Yeah, that's what I think. I think the parentheses, this is really kind of by the way, but I kind of want to include it. The dash seems like you're more excited to kind of get that in there.

Grammar in the Writing Process

Now, I wanted to ask you too, you're also a creative writer, and where does grammar enter into your process? I mean, are you conscious of it as you're doing your early drafts or free writing, or is it something for you that really waits for revision or editing? I'm always, I can't help but be conscious of it now. I mean, like even when people are speaking to me, sometimes I'm like putting punctuation in their sentences. I'm like hyper-conscious of it, so I don't make up, I mean, I still have to have someone obviously proofread my work. I make errors and typos and I couldn't turn something in without having someone look over it, but in general, like I'm putting the semicolon in there.

I'm very conscious of that kind of stuff. So, let's talk a little bit about your book. I've got to tell you, I enjoyed it so much that after I read it, I tweeted about it and I said, I actually went and looked up my tweet. It says, thanks, Jenny Brannick. Your book, Missed Periods, has really helped me understand some of this stuff.

Now, that sounds fine if you're familiar with the book, but after I read it, I went back and, or after I wrote it, I went back and read it and realized that, you know, some of my followers on Twitter were probably a little surprised to hear that a 40-plus-year-old father of three didn't understand what missed periods were. So, I'm just curious, you know, how has the title and kind of the concept been received? Have you had some confusion about it? Oh, that's funny. I was doing a book signing and this guy kind of looks at me from across the bookstore and starts walking over and I'm like, cool, he's going to buy a book. And he just comes up to me and says, I just want you to know that the title of your book is every man's biggest nightmare.

I'm like, thank you. Overall, I guess some people don't get it and then when people do get it, they're like, ah, I get it. But I just wanted people to, I just want to make it more fun. I feel like reputation, or I'm sorry, the grammar has such like a stodgy reputation and people are so afraid of it. And I just want to kind of bring it out there that it still matters and it doesn't have to be so boring. Absolutely.

And I think that was really the breath of fresh air that I got from your book. And, you know, it just, it was. It was really, I mean, I was literally sitting on the couch laughing out loud reading this book and my family kept saying, what are you reading? I said, oh, it's this grammar book. And they just look at me like I was crazy. Oh, that makes me happy.

Thank you. Yeah. I'd love to share just a little bit with our listeners. Would you read a little bit of it for me? Sure. What I'd love to hear is the opening section to the chapter on commas.

It's called More Than a Feeling, commas. And maybe you could read that for us. Okay. Does this sound familiar to anyone? It just feels so right. This is what you keep telling your skeptical best friend when she warned you not to go out with him.

You know which him I'm talking about. The next thing you know, it's two weeks later and you're curled up on the couch watching Love Actually, your tears adding a strangely delicious saltiness to the half devoured tub of double chocolate fudge ice cream you are clutching. Now you are crying to your best friend. I don't get it. It just felt so right. This is why we need rules, my friends.

Here are a few. Never date your friend's ex. Never date anyone who isn't devastated that Arrested Development was canceled. Never date a guy, or for that matter, a girl, whose nickname is Big Daddy. Never date anyone who says chillax. And ladies, never date a guy who wears a mock turtleneck.

Okay, that last one is just a personal pet peeve, but the other ones are undebatable. It's equally important to follow our heads rather than our hearts when dealing with commas. When I question my students about their comma placement, most of them tell me that they insert the comma when they feel like it should be there. When they feel like it should be there. Is it just me or is it weird that my students have some kind of emotional connection with this mark of punctuation? The fact that they have feelings about commas is not just bizarre.

It's dangerous. It's dangerous because we don't all feel the same way about the comma. Most of us either love it or we hate it. Those of us who hate commas tend to just say screw it and leave them out completely. This is okay if we don't mind being responsible for our readers passing out from jet lag at the end of our sentences. Those of us who love commas tend to put them everywhere.

Comma lovers need to be careful. After a long sentence, you may get faced with whiplash. Forget how you feel about the comma. I know it's small and cute and curvy, but we've got to harden our hearts and use our heads. Instead of letting our emotions dictate our comma placement, why not follow these good old-fashioned rules?

Okay, and then the chapter goes into what I think are really anything but good old-fashioned rules. I mean, they may be the good old-fashioned rules, but they're certainly not presented in the good old-fashioned way. It's quite fun. In fact, as I listen to you read that, I realized that I am the guy who loves Arrested Development.

But I'm unfortunately also the guy who wore a mock turtleneck, so I'm not sure how to feel about that chapter. That was just a personal one. Okay, okay.

But I wanted to share just a little bit later in the chapter, just a couple of the example sentences that you use, because I think they maybe give an idea of kind of the tone of the book. A couple of my favorites is you use a couple of sentences without commas, and then you'll put the commas in to show how they are made a little more clear, let's say, with a comma. The first one is, behind the portrait of the family jewels that belonged to your grandmother are hidden. And, of course, it's one of those sentences that you stop and say, behind the portrait of the family jewels. And, of course, with a comma, behind the portrait of the family, comma, jewels that belonged to your grandmother are hidden. If that doesn't show the importance or clarity added with proper comma use, I'm not sure what else could.

Oh, and I have to share one more, just because this was definitely one of my laugh-out-loud moments. Because Kate loves to sleep around, 50% of her day was spent looking for pillows. So read properly with the commas. Because Kate loves to sleep, comma, around 50% of her day was spent looking for pillows. I'm sure you did. That sounds like a blast.

The Role of Grammar in Confidence

And I think it's a great illustration of why, even as creative writers who can technically break the rules, I guess you can say, understanding them is so important. Well, Jenny, I have to say, it's a great book, a really fun read. And, you know, what's even better, it helped me feel more confident about grammar, which I think made me a better writer because of it. Thank you. That's exactly what I wanted this book to do. It was not perfect anybody's grammar, but just to make them feel more confident.

Yeah, I think you've definitely achieved that. I highly recommend it. You know, grammar is one of those fundamental tools of writing. And while it's great to break the rules, I think it's done best when we break them on purpose for a purpose.

So, Jenny, I just want to say thanks again for your book, and thanks for your time talking with us today. Thank you. You can find I hope you'll consider picking up a copy of Jenny's book and add those grammar skills to your toolbox. It's really the only way to get past that moment of struggle when we want to get something from our heads onto paper, but we don't quite have the skill to do it without stumbling over that grammar.

So I really do encourage you to make grammar a priority in your writing. I think you'll find that it will strengthen your writing, make you more confident, and make you more able to get the thoughts down on paper that you have in your head. Next week, I think we're going to be talking about something called mise-en-scene.

Now that's a French term, and I don't know that I'm pronouncing it correctly. There's a chance that I'll have an interview lined up for you again next week, but failing that, we'll be talking about mise-en-scene. It's a cinematic technique that will help us tie our settings and descriptions more deeply into our theme. Have you ever heard the writing advice to make every word count or make sure everything in your writing is doing some sort of work? Well, we're going to take that abstract concept and see how we can accomplish that in our writing. I can't believe we're a month into the show already.

The response has been great. I want to thank you so much for listening. I hope you'll consider sharing this podcast with writer friends, and please, if you get a minute, head on over to iTunes and leave us a good review there. It's one of the best ways we can get the word out about the show, which really only helps me continue to bring you great guests and great content every week.

So I'd appreciate that so much. One last reminder of how to get Jenny's book. Head on over to the show's website. And there you'll also find the show notes for this episode as well.

So until next week, remember, the best way to improve your craft is by writing. That's what I'm off to go do, and I hope you're off to do the same. Let's get some words on paper this week, and we'll meet up again next week for another episode of the show's website. Thanks for listening to the Inside Creative Writing podcast with your host, writer and educator Brad Reed. We'll be back next week, but until then, join the conversation at the show's website.