Professionalism in Writing and Poetic License

     As I was reflecting on this week’s blog entry, I had just finished reading Facebook with a question. When we write on Facebook, do we relax? Do we make errors we would not make in our formal writing? Are there those writers who don’t understand the use of English? Or, as authors, are we lazy when on social platforms? Could it be something else? In the writer’s opinion, it is all of these things. No one answer applies to all authors. No two are exactly the same.

     In some cases, it is poetic license which is defined by Oxford Languages as “freedom to depart from…convention rules of language”. This led to my next question. Should I not know the rules before I depart from them? I wonder if I should know exactly where and when to make use of poetic license?

     The answer is yes, yes, and yes. If you do not first establish yourself as a professional author, how will your readership realize that you know the difference between a glaring error and the use of poetic license? How will they recognize your particular use of it? The fact is, they will not. Perhaps it is best to ensure your audience understands you as an author and your approach to your craft before attempting a tricky convention such as poetic license.

Next Time: Multiple POVs (Point of View) and How to Avoid Head-Hopping!