what are you afraid of? an Oxford comma?

why punctuation and grammar shouldn't stop you, and what that means

anya

Jan 21, 2025

let’s play a game.

Don’t, stop the thief!
Dont stop the thief!

Spot the difference.

Okay, another one.

she bought the dress.
she bought the dress!
she bought the dress?
she bought the dress..

Replacing an ! with a ? makes a huge difference. An addition of a letter can change the whole sentence.

This one is for the German speakers -

einen latte Bitte
eine latte bitte

Every letter, every word you use in your poem makes a difference. Your intent shows, and that matters.

I think we can all agree- we need grammar to understand each other. For clarity in terms of meaning, tone, mood and several other important things. But as a creative writer, why should you challenge that? and why not?

And most importantly, how?

Let’s take this one step at a time.

Why (not)?

In I(a) by Cummings, the words and spacing visually resemble a falling leaf:

The layout complements the poem's themes of solitude and fragility.

The poet famously avoided capitalisations and punctuations to show spontaneity, and emotions. He deliberately avoids and questions the use of punctuations, the way they are generally used. Abhorred by classical linguists but loved by semioticians.

“nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands”

He eschews periods, which creates such an organic flow in his writing - mimicking tenderness and awe.

You might think, without the bitterness -

The belief that starting sentences with "and" or "but" is wrong stems from traditional grammar rules often taught in schools, particularly in countries with a strong emphasis on prescriptive grammar. In my opinion, these are the main reasons behind this perception:

Overusing conjunctions or creating fragmented sentences.
For example, starting a sentence with "and" or "but" without ensuring it has a complete thought can lead to poorly constructed sentences. To avoid confusion, teachers often discourage starting sentences this way, even though it's not grammatically incorrect.
Traditional grammar rules, particularly those influenced by 18th- and 19th-century grammarians, often imposed stricter conventions based on Latin grammar. Since Latin doesn’t use conjunctions like “and” or “but” to start sentences, some grammarians incorrectly concluded that English should follow suit.
In formal or academic writing, there is a tendency to avoid starting sentences with conjunctions to maintain a more structured and polished tone. This preference may have led to the misconception that it is universally incorrect, even in informal or creative contexts. During my masters, it was emphasised again, that doing so is incorrect English and not acceptable.
In many countries, particularly those with education systems influenced by older British norms, this idea persists because it’s passed down through generations of teachers, textbooks, and curricula.

Many respected writers, including those in literature and journalism, have always used this technique. The key is to ensure clarity and coherence in the sentence structure.

But let’s move beyond conjuctions.

This is one of his poems that we were taught in university as English majors my classmates despised it with every atom of their soul but of course, I adored it.

Challenging form and grammar as a writer is about breaking conventions in ways that enhance meaning, evoke emotion, or reflect the unique voice of the work.

style, emotion, form and experimentation. E.E Cummings really did it all. It reminds me so much of the French new wave, where revoking conventional boundaries and experimentation lead to the birth of something fresh, and revitalising —- complexity. Which is probably why, work by poets such as Cummings, might be intimidating at first. or people who don’t try to understand it, might think of it as pretentious.

No theme we explore through art is original. Yet Cummings does it through his own way, tying them all together with a method of alphabetic deconstruction unknown to poetry. or lucid comprehension.

So take your time,

go through each letter, every pause.

try to read it out loud.

have fun with it.

because that’s what poetry is all about.

Here’s another gem from my undergrad literature textbook:

This is just one part from the book of poetry that M. NourbeSe Philip wrote. He uses language and syntax by deconstructing them — to evoke the themes of slavery, massacre, and trauma. This particular poem speaks of the massacre where enslaved africans were thrown from a British slave ship for insurance claims.

The fragmented structure of the scattered words, syntax, tense shifts — all play a part in creating an atmosphere of chaos and loss visually. The deconstructed form is central to the poem, and the last two words represent the erasure of victim’s identities. there is no historical record of who was on the on the ship, who was discarded, almost like nameless commodities at the coloniser’s disposal.

This poem challenges its readers to face the silence, and invites them to reflect on history, memory and how language is used as a tool —— to erase as well as recover meaning.

I just keep imagining the conclusion of this to be a ten marker answer akin to my exam answer sheets. So why should you challenge form and grammar in literature?

authenticity.
every letter and word you omit or add, every detail of your work mirrors you. anything you write is a fragment of your own self and truth of your being — and it’s all up to you. No one but only you can decide how you want to put your truth across.
what’s the purpose of “!” here, and the tense there. The way you write it, is the way you mean it. your work’s authenticity doesn’t stem from your correct use of prepositions, but your intentions and choices. so write with total disregard for external judgements or perhaps even internal.
visual representation of the themes
prioritise the emotions and message of your writing over formal correctness.
to engage the reader
Gertrude stein neglected punctuations so that her readers would work harder to understand what she meant. That sounds like a nightmare for neurodivergent folks, so maybe we can find a middle-ground. reinvent grammar for your own literary voice.
to express artistic freedom
you can create something entirely new from the things you learn, especially once you know them in and out.
challenging form and grammar isn’t about disregarding rules recklessly—it’s about knowing them well enough to break them intentionally and with purpose.

after all, what’s art if it doesn’t evoke any emotion? challenge any notion? question your decisions?

How?

Here are a few ways you can try it:

try using lowercase exclusively
no other case. lowercase often makes content more intimate, vulnerable. “Hi, Trevor” is not the same as “hi, trevor.” you can try uppercase too: (though it’s not the same)
use punctuation as you wish
punctuations are mainly for pauses, and reading with emotions. ! is not the same as ? and . signifies an end. Perhaps don’t use them at all. It adds a sense of urgency
or
even
continuity
because
until
you
see
a
full
stop
it’s not over
.
play with the visuals - break your lines,
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
however you want. 
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
s     pace* your words, in between your l e tt e     rs.
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
align them                     however                 you want.
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
shape it into an image. 
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
or                                                           echo
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
an
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
echo                            echo                      
```
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
```
                                                                                     echo                          
```
*aren’t you proud of the “ s(pace)” joke, like c’mon!
Try writing a free-verse prose. don’t think too much about the format, just keep writing. you’ll get there.
think of your favourites
what would Joan Didion say? well she said - Grammar is a piano I play by ear.
follow morrison
she used syntax to mirror oral traditions, how her character’s might speak, pause, and continue — all while highlighting a voice of their own. So come up with your own syntax rules (hopefully ones that don’t confused the existing ones, for example - ! instead of . but you know what? that could work actually). use these rules to embody a very specific voice or mood. let your grammar show readers how your characters think, feel and speak, rather than making them all sound the same.
write anywhere, physically
replace typing. write it on a leaf, in a book, on a fruit, somewhere. anywhere.

Who said stick to one form?
is your writing a song? a list? an argument? an essay? let it be what you want it to be. define your own form by using multiple forms in one piece. use strikeouts, footnotes, any interruptions via typography to shift tone or meaning. I read this somewhere and I think this would be very useful to you:
“To destroy is always the first step in any creation.”
As Ezra pound said, make it new.
invent words, morph some together, dismantle grammar to mimic how you think. (stream-of-consciouness, hello). use phrases where you want, rhythmic patterns where you think it may deliver your work better. use white space for silences or pace your words. the whole page is yours for the taking!

I really hope these ideas motivated you to try something of your own. to find your voice, your form, your definition of your writing. I hope it gives you the courage to visualise a big F to whatever reason you think you can’t write.

And I really

really

really really really

do hope

that this helped you.

Bonus : pick your poison

here’s what your favourites (hopefully) have to say :

Thank you for making it to the end!

I think you are very very cool.

You might not see my posts read the same way they used to before. I want to experiment with different things, writing styles and format. However, I do hope the familiar lemon makes you feel home.

If you are in the position to support me, please do <3