As she is spoke

I’ve just had some scripts I’ve written returned with some amendments. Amendments made by another person to correct some of the words I’ve written to correct what I’ve said back into language as it is written rather than as it is spoken.

You know that, unfortunately, we still kow tow to our old English teacher because we write to create great literature rather than to be understood. This means we use proper grammatically correct language that looks correct when you read it.

However I write scripts, in fact everything I write, to be “listened to in the head”.

Let me explain what I mean by that. When I write I want people to read it as if they were listening to me. I love it when people say, “When I read what you have written Winno it’s just like you’re talking to me.”

So I create my literary efforts in language as it is “spoke”. I want people to read me and get what I mean as if they were listening to me.

That’s why I’m in love with Siri on my iPhone. To be honest I’m doing lots of dictation on the iPhone simply because it’s recording me the way I say it and not in the poncy way I would write it.

Although the recording capacity is only about one or two paragraphs at a time it’s great to use. I dictate into it and it faithfully records me as I say it. It might upset my old English teacher but, remember this, I’m writing to be understood. By the way until Siri won my heart I used “Dragon Naturally Speaking” which turned my words into Word… and did a great job too!

So why not try writing like you speak?

Why?

Because I’m writing in language as it is spoken rather than as it is written. Nobody ever seems to have problems understanding me when I speak so why shouldn’t my writing reflect that?

And that means I can break all the laws my old English teacher taught me. I can use one word paragraphs or one word sentences. Start sentences with “and” and finish with a preposition. Use contractions and slangish language like “ain’t” and “termorra”. Just write like I talk.

Remember I’m writing like I speak… and I’m being understood!

Naturally this was dictated using Siri!