Sylvanopolis Writers' Society.

I wanted to take a minute to discuss the organization I am building and why.

My grandpa (apparently) knew I'd be a writer when I was 8. I knew at 11. I have sought to write and hone my craft for the past 16 years. But there were times in high school and college, especially, where the resources to get where I wanted to go took as much time to research as any school work. Naturally, this meant less time to actually write.

But writing, and sustaining writing itself...that is essential.

So what if there was a magical place that had all the info you needed in a central location? Libraries, right?

Okay, so Roseville Library is awesome. They've been hosting some amazing workshops and events. But Roseville...is a suburb...

What about down here? In the city of Sacramento? The capitol of the state that has hollywood? the Silicon Valley? Honestly, all the writers seem to vacate the area for the Bay. But that leaves kids in Sacramento and the surrounding area, with little literary enrichment. Not to mention writers-with-day-jobs in the region!

Like I said, Roseville Library is doing some awesome things here. So is the Capitol City Young Writers program.

But again, I feel that I comprise a group currently being neglected. Both of these programs are located in upper middle class to wealthier locations in the overall Sacramento Area map. What about those of us from truly middle class backgrounds? It is hard for writers to find...well...other writers...in this city. Not to mention changing behavior patterns as we become increasingly internet dependent.

In fact, half of my support from other writers here and on facebook is with writers I've never met face to face. But there is something strangely motivating and encouraging about building connections that way...

So when I found myself developing a network of critique groups, I didn't want to stop there. I want to help foster a central location where writers can find:

1) Resources to help them learn what they need about craft
2) Resources that help them progress toward publishing
3) Resources that help them promote their work immediately prior to & post publication
4) Local events where they can meet other writers
5) Local publications that help them develop a publishing repetoire (like writing articles for newsletters for the organization. Fostering a sharing of knowledge beyond the critique groups)

--But I don't want the whole thing to be IRL. I mean, that isn't applicable to how we experience life anymore. Life is a hybrid of Virtual and IRL (In Real Life) experiences. So the organization has to generate the same sort of dual existence, and it needs an infrastructure to do this.

--I am applying for non-profit status so that a Board and Administration can set up an educationally-foocused public benefit corporation to provide a centralized location IRL and Online for writers to come to.

--Yes, I know there are organizations currently in existence. Many, like SFWA require you publish a book first, prior to registering. Some are purely virtual. But no matter how internet dependent we become, we are not going to neglect the real-life need to connect with others. So we will reach out to existing writing groups as well as individual writers. We want to help them find places to come to for connection, education, and involvement on both planes. That is something I feel has been missing.

--I will be updating the website shortly. I will include the whole plan there. Please, visit next week when all is up and ready for viewing :D

Textual Context

While reading Facebook comments on my wall, I noticed jokes about grammar. A friend teased my boyfriend about non-standard English used in a comment. A glance at Helium and the like definitely highglight the grammarian's concerns about language being "diluted" with the use of coloquialisms.

I guess that the most shocking bit about the whole thing is my epiphany: "I don't care."

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that it is important to have a good grasp of English. Anyone who writes had better know something. If you don't, well, you better be willing to put in the time to learn it!

That said, I think there are a few behavioral shifts we need to recognize before discussing the relevance of grammar to social networking sites:

1) Spoken language is not the same as written language.
2) Technology is affecting communication.
3) In spoken language, grammar and vocubulary usuage is dependent on context.
4) Texting and social networking are equivalent to conversing, sharing experience (like playing sharades at a party consisting of acquiantances)or even waving at
someone when walking down the street (poking, throwing sheep, etc.)

If social networking sites and texting are analogous to these casual forms of communication, the only part of it that makes standard grammar important is the fact that it is textually based. Writing has traditionally been the most formal of all forms communicating in English. The advent of writing has actually hindered natural language change, stalled it to such a degree that the alterations have been minimal in the past 500 years. (Yes, Shakespeare IS Early-Modern English.) All sources for proper grammar and vocabulary come from written works. We use dictionaries, thesarus, novels, and non-fiction texts to inform us of any topic we need. As we do so, we perpetuate standard English.

Bravo and Brava! Job well done, Reader!

But suddenly, context for written communication is broadening. As writing starting to take on the same contexts as spoken language, it makes sense that written grammar will become as context-dependent as spoken language. The lesson should be when to use it in which way. Standard English, in written form does not convey emotion the way that a voice would. In order to meet this need in casual textual conversing, the language changes. Grammar, which conveys its own loaded meanings, is changed to fit the needs of the society utilizing it.

Will this change formal documents? Of that I'm not certain. I certainly hope the alteration won't be extreme, but there is bound to be some reverberation. But then, language is the verbal (and textual) expression of culture, the communication of ideas and so forth. As those things change, and culture changes, so too does language.

From my standpoint, that is inevitable and nothing to balk at. I'm excited. it will be interesting to see what affects this has on formal writing...