Grammar and syntax is my weakest area in writing. Critiquers have said the same thing. But I feel overwhelmed trying to tackle it and don't know where to start. Thoughts?
Overwhelmed
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I've given this advice many times, but so far only one person has actually taken it. And for her, it worked, helping enormously.
Find a basic grammar and usage book aimed at students in grades 6 through 8, more or less. I wish I could recommend a specific title, but I cannot. (I bet someone else can, though.) Start at the very beginning, even though you surely know a lot of it. What are the parts of speech? What makes a complete sentence?
This will reinforce what you know and sharpen up the fine points. Then tackle the next section or chapter. Learn it all. Take any self-quizzes. Note where you made a mistake or were not sure. Refer back to that aspect of grammar or usage then write it up using your own words in a word processing document. (This will become your reference guide or study sheet.) Label it well. ("Homonyms I Mix Up" "Compound Adjectives and Hyphens" "Comma Between Clauses" etc.) Include a great many examples if you find they help you.
Slowly go through the whole book at whatever pace lets you actually learn this stuff and be solid on it, rarely needing to look up anything. Every so often, flip back a few sections and review, so you don't lose what you already learned. You should be able to finish in a year at the most. Several months is completely realistic. And voila, you have upped your game, big time.
At the end, you should find yourself with a fresh understanding of the rules, plus a damned good overview of what your weaknesses are and what specific rules there are for each one. Print them up in a large enough font that you can see them on a bulletin board or wall near where you write. One day, you'll realize Hey, I totally don't need to look up compound adjectives any more! which is when you move that one to a new document of the ones you've learned.
If you're like me, you may never have an empty list, but it'll get a lot shorter.
Maryn, who continues to struggle with a few things and probably always will
Find a basic grammar and usage book aimed at students in grades 6 through 8, more or less. I wish I could recommend a specific title, but I cannot. (I bet someone else can, though.) Start at the very beginning, even though you surely know a lot of it. What are the parts of speech? What makes a complete sentence?
This will reinforce what you know and sharpen up the fine points. Then tackle the next section or chapter. Learn it all. Take any self-quizzes. Note where you made a mistake or were not sure. Refer back to that aspect of grammar or usage then write it up using your own words in a word processing document. (This will become your reference guide or study sheet.) Label it well. ("Homonyms I Mix Up" "Compound Adjectives and Hyphens" "Comma Between Clauses" etc.) Include a great many examples if you find they help you.
Slowly go through the whole book at whatever pace lets you actually learn this stuff and be solid on it, rarely needing to look up anything. Every so often, flip back a few sections and review, so you don't lose what you already learned. You should be able to finish in a year at the most. Several months is completely realistic. And voila, you have upped your game, big time.
At the end, you should find yourself with a fresh understanding of the rules, plus a damned good overview of what your weaknesses are and what specific rules there are for each one. Print them up in a large enough font that you can see them on a bulletin board or wall near where you write. One day, you'll realize Hey, I totally don't need to look up compound adjectives any more! which is when you move that one to a new document of the ones you've learned.
If you're like me, you may never have an empty list, but it'll get a lot shorter.
Maryn, who continues to struggle with a few things and probably always will
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One book that is timeless and has helped many writers is The Elements of Style by Strunk and White (E.B. White, the same author who wrote the award-winning Charlotte's Web). It gives classic examples on structuring your sentences to maximize effects, common mistakes in writing, and loads more. Speaking of which, I lost my copy and should really get a replacement.
Learning the rules is great, but knowing how the rules are applied is at least as important. You can learn that by reading the works of writers who actually wrote well. I would especially recommend reading the works of authors of other eras, back when they really knew how to write. One can learn a lot from the way that Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Edward Everett Hale, and other great writers plied their craft.
I can't believe I'm about to say this, since I normally tell people to look at similar books when they have a question about something, but this time I think I'm going to disagree (can't decide). The reason I say this is because in this case it's about knowing the basics, not just about how things are handled here and there. This is about knowing WHY, and reading books won't explain the hows and whys behind the rules. I've seen many people who use commas incorrectly, and I can see why they did what they did, but it's off the mark a bit -- almost there, but not quite.
If there's a teachers' supplies store near you (or online) look for grammar workbooks so that you'll have exercises to do--I think grammar is one of those things best learned by practice.
Grammarly has an online tool, or use the grammar checker in MS Word or any other word processor.
Keep using it on your text before you let anyone else see it, and keep fixing the errors until you know WHY you broke that "rule" and why you disagree with its suggestions, and aren't seeing novice errors like subject/verb agreement.
Keep track of the error types for a while and see where your weak points are.
Also, try reading your work out loud.
There are a number of grammar workbooks available on Amazon, for all levels. Online for free, Purdue OWL has exercises.
If you're not good at self-study, consider taking a basic writing class at your local community college.
If you're not good at self-study, consider taking a basic writing class at your local community college.
With grammar, learning the rules *is* knowing how to apply them.
2nd and 3rding Maryn's suggestion to find a middle-school level texbook.
(Wishing somebody could suggest a title, too...)
Start by identifying specific examples of problems that people have objected to. Other than general advice pointing to resources, it's hard to answer otherwise. But it's always useful to break down a BIG problem into smaller, more digestible bites. Do you have difficulty with, say, verb-noun agreement? Misplaced modifiers? Sentence structure in general?
It might help to do this by posting a representative sample in the Share Your Work forum.
caw
Think what you like.
After one has memorized Marriner's English Grammar, it is a good idea to look at how those rules are actually applied in practice.
Also, don't put too much pressure on yourself. No one is perfect at this. Learn at your pace and start small so you don't overwhelm yourself. Look at one problem at a time. If you have a number of critics, see where two or thee point the same problem out. What are they saying at that exact moment on the script? Is it something about how a sentence doesn't quite make sense? Or maybe how it moves (transitions) from one sentence to another, perhaps too quickly and as though detail is missing? If you can't understand what a critic is saying, ask them to see if they can explain a little more: never be afraid to ask! Writing is one of those occupations where you're always learning on the job, no matter how skilled you are.