I've never liked academia. It's mostly a cesspool of one upmanship by cringe adults that never got the creative life they wanted.
I quit my MA in English literature because of that. I will never, ever comform to somebody's mold and idea of how something should be written. Sure, there are norms but... Why haven't they changed and kept up with the times? Why does nobody seem to care?
I thought intelligence and being an artist is all about finding that unrepeatable voice within you and letting it run rampant through the world. Why, then, does academia force you to become a copycat?
I love the message here, Amanda, and I'd even audaciously add a lil' something to it:
Write however you want, wherever you want. You don't need a degree, a course, or some boring idiot raving about the three act structure. As long as you're so good that you can play with your readers' emotional chords, nothing else matters.
I’m pinning your comment, because I honestly agree with every single word, especially given the internet context we’re taking about. Thank you so much for taking the time to add to this discussion!! It’s so refreshing to see people having this perspective. Thank you so much for your comment and for your take on this matter. Very very very appreciated. :)
+ some people will drop your newsie because of “””wrong””” lowercase/uppercase usage and that’s also ok! it’s their choice to not read you if you don’t follow these norms but it’s your choice to follow the norms or not on your social media page! :)))
as someone who constantly questions the course material while loving my english degree, i could relate so much to the elitism that academia brings with itself. i hate reading about obsolete authors and i hate that canon is still, somehow, respected enough to be reproduced. one can respect whoever they want to actually but exactly like you said, culture is changing every second. to be expected to conform is wrong. ALSO HEY LMAO I ALSO USE BLOCK LETTERS TO GET CLOSER TO PEOPLE SO THATS LIKE A hmm common trait between us? hahaha. loved LOOOVED reading this piece <3
AAAHH!! SAKHI! I ALSO LOVE THE BLOCK LETTERS ALSO YOU’RE SO RIGHT AND I LOVE THAT WE (degree people 😔) CAN RELATE AND CONNECT OVER THAT! thank you for sharing your perspective, I appreciate it more than anything 🥹🫶🏻🤍
you always put these things into words so amazingly 🤍 ik this has (mostly) been put to rest now but I still find it quite weird that others on here will make such a big deal out of how people write their OWN newsletters. if you don’t like it don’t read it. I don’t see the point in trying to ridicule or make others feel less than for the way they write. an author I recently stumbled upon, Safia Elhillo, writes her books in lowercase and with such beautiful prose and they’re amazing books. highly recommend her.
OMG thank you for the rec!!!! Will definitely check it out because I’m in SUCH a need to find authors that write their books outside of the conventional norms! I also don’t see the point in heavily criticizing something over the self expression factor. It’s SUCH an individual thing, and it’s so important to have it in order to have different perspectives when it comes to art. We literally need it!
I was actually just thinking about this recently, and I am so very glad you pointed this out. I was sharing some of my work with a newer friend, and he said he had noticed some technical mistakes at first, and after reading further on, he realized that it was on purpose. I suppose, I just tend to put a specific tone on each piece depending on how I would like to portray it. For example: my latest piece was filled with run-on sentences and incomplete/nonsensical sentences, but it was all because that was how it felt in my head when I was feeling the emotions that I went back to write about. And if I am writing an article on something, typically not something personal, I will use my utmost proper grammar and writing etiquette. Also, sometimes the pieces that use improper English are more so poetical in a sense, and poetry does not have any rules, so why should my writing? That is how I view it.
“I just tend to put a specific tone on each piece depending on how I would like to portray it.” YES! this is what writing is about! it’s so much more important to me and much more impactful when it comes from the heart, it certainly reaches more people who enjoy your style and identify with it! That’s maybe the only real connection we can make through our work. If we write from the heart, we will receive comments that are also from the heart, and that’s what matters most to me.
i like the concept of knowing the rules so you can break them. but sometimes it’s worth it to be ignorant to them entirely. whatever it takes to get words on the page
Brilliant read! I’ve been thinking so much about what makes a great writer and a great piece (and art in general I think), and how we are traditionally taught that to achieve something transcendent we need to speak in this complex language, as if “simplicity” has no value. So thank you so much for this, Amanda ❤️
Mónica! I’m only seeing this now!!!! Sorry to not give your beautiful comment an immediate response because it deserves it! I’ll also pin it! I agree with it so much, people’s approach of literature in academic spaces is SO dogmatic and it’s not willing to admit any kind of plurality when it comes to poetic licenses - so when I see people repeating the same dogmatic approach to literature on the internet, it makes me revolted, honestly, because it’s *supposed* to be a more inclusive and plural environment. We’re not imposing this type of thing here, this is supposed to be more accessible. There are people of all social environments who just want to express themselves artistically here. And we should let them be heard!
I’m happy to be a little grain of salt inside of this discussion though. Thank you for being here! :))))
Thank you, Amanda. This was good and what I have always felt. In school, I can't remember when ee cummings was my idol. He just wrote, with no caps, the way he wanted. He did write, I think, the "proper" way. LoL. I know school and most mainstream works use the "proper format, and we have been groomed to write this way. I back you and it is hard to sometimes be yourself. You got this. I believe in you. Thank you for your hard work. ☕🌹❤️🤍❣️
MARK!!! ee cummings! you just get me, and I appreciate that endlessly!! I completely agree with your take on school and mainstream media “grooming” us on accepting the formal norm and nothing else! being yourself is hard, but not as hard when you have people who understand you and love you regardless! thank you for all the love always 💌
I've never liked academia. It's mostly a cesspool of one upmanship by cringe adults that never got the creative life they wanted.
I quit my MA in English literature because of that. I will never, ever comform to somebody's mold and idea of how something should be written. Sure, there are norms but... Why haven't they changed and kept up with the times? Why does nobody seem to care?
I thought intelligence and being an artist is all about finding that unrepeatable voice within you and letting it run rampant through the world. Why, then, does academia force you to become a copycat?
I love the message here, Amanda, and I'd even audaciously add a lil' something to it:
Write however you want, wherever you want. You don't need a degree, a course, or some boring idiot raving about the three act structure. As long as you're so good that you can play with your readers' emotional chords, nothing else matters.
Evgeniy!
I’m pinning your comment, because I honestly agree with every single word, especially given the internet context we’re taking about. Thank you so much for taking the time to add to this discussion!! It’s so refreshing to see people having this perspective. Thank you so much for your comment and for your take on this matter. Very very very appreciated. :)
I thank you too! :)
This is something I'm passionate about and I truly appreciate the birth of this discussion. I can't wait to see what others add on top!
+ some people will drop your newsie because of “””wrong””” lowercase/uppercase usage and that’s also ok! it’s their choice to not read you if you don’t follow these norms but it’s your choice to follow the norms or not on your social media page! :)))
i can be literate and also type in all lowercase :)
hope this helps any still confused
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!!
as someone who constantly questions the course material while loving my english degree, i could relate so much to the elitism that academia brings with itself. i hate reading about obsolete authors and i hate that canon is still, somehow, respected enough to be reproduced. one can respect whoever they want to actually but exactly like you said, culture is changing every second. to be expected to conform is wrong. ALSO HEY LMAO I ALSO USE BLOCK LETTERS TO GET CLOSER TO PEOPLE SO THATS LIKE A hmm common trait between us? hahaha. loved LOOOVED reading this piece <3
AAAHH!! SAKHI! I ALSO LOVE THE BLOCK LETTERS ALSO YOU’RE SO RIGHT AND I LOVE THAT WE (degree people 😔) CAN RELATE AND CONNECT OVER THAT! thank you for sharing your perspective, I appreciate it more than anything 🥹🫶🏻🤍
I love this piece. As before, you get the letters to dance and form the right meaning. You have game Amanda. 🫶🌹💌🥹❤️
you always put these things into words so amazingly 🤍 ik this has (mostly) been put to rest now but I still find it quite weird that others on here will make such a big deal out of how people write their OWN newsletters. if you don’t like it don’t read it. I don’t see the point in trying to ridicule or make others feel less than for the way they write. an author I recently stumbled upon, Safia Elhillo, writes her books in lowercase and with such beautiful prose and they’re amazing books. highly recommend her.
OMG thank you for the rec!!!! Will definitely check it out because I’m in SUCH a need to find authors that write their books outside of the conventional norms! I also don’t see the point in heavily criticizing something over the self expression factor. It’s SUCH an individual thing, and it’s so important to have it in order to have different perspectives when it comes to art. We literally need it!
I was actually just thinking about this recently, and I am so very glad you pointed this out. I was sharing some of my work with a newer friend, and he said he had noticed some technical mistakes at first, and after reading further on, he realized that it was on purpose. I suppose, I just tend to put a specific tone on each piece depending on how I would like to portray it. For example: my latest piece was filled with run-on sentences and incomplete/nonsensical sentences, but it was all because that was how it felt in my head when I was feeling the emotions that I went back to write about. And if I am writing an article on something, typically not something personal, I will use my utmost proper grammar and writing etiquette. Also, sometimes the pieces that use improper English are more so poetical in a sense, and poetry does not have any rules, so why should my writing? That is how I view it.
JUBILEE!!!
“I just tend to put a specific tone on each piece depending on how I would like to portray it.” YES! this is what writing is about! it’s so much more important to me and much more impactful when it comes from the heart, it certainly reaches more people who enjoy your style and identify with it! That’s maybe the only real connection we can make through our work. If we write from the heart, we will receive comments that are also from the heart, and that’s what matters most to me.
:))))
PRECISELY!!!
i like the concept of knowing the rules so you can break them. but sometimes it’s worth it to be ignorant to them entirely. whatever it takes to get words on the page
whatever it takes to get words on the page and art that comes from the heart to the people!
Brilliant read! I’ve been thinking so much about what makes a great writer and a great piece (and art in general I think), and how we are traditionally taught that to achieve something transcendent we need to speak in this complex language, as if “simplicity” has no value. So thank you so much for this, Amanda ❤️
Mónica! I’m only seeing this now!!!! Sorry to not give your beautiful comment an immediate response because it deserves it! I’ll also pin it! I agree with it so much, people’s approach of literature in academic spaces is SO dogmatic and it’s not willing to admit any kind of plurality when it comes to poetic licenses - so when I see people repeating the same dogmatic approach to literature on the internet, it makes me revolted, honestly, because it’s *supposed* to be a more inclusive and plural environment. We’re not imposing this type of thing here, this is supposed to be more accessible. There are people of all social environments who just want to express themselves artistically here. And we should let them be heard!
I’m happy to be a little grain of salt inside of this discussion though. Thank you for being here! :))))
Thank you, Amanda. This was good and what I have always felt. In school, I can't remember when ee cummings was my idol. He just wrote, with no caps, the way he wanted. He did write, I think, the "proper" way. LoL. I know school and most mainstream works use the "proper format, and we have been groomed to write this way. I back you and it is hard to sometimes be yourself. You got this. I believe in you. Thank you for your hard work. ☕🌹❤️🤍❣️
MARK!!! ee cummings! you just get me, and I appreciate that endlessly!! I completely agree with your take on school and mainstream media “grooming” us on accepting the formal norm and nothing else! being yourself is hard, but not as hard when you have people who understand you and love you regardless! thank you for all the love always 💌
AMÉN! 🙏
LOWERCASE PARA SIEMPRE ‼️‼️‼️‼️
amanda this is so genuis and intricate and i'm so in love with this.
AW EMMA!!!! thank you so much!!! 🥹🤍💌
loved this -- i'm also an all lower case girly so i feel very seen. <3 thank you as always bb
alix!!!! I see u (and i love everything i see!!!) love u so so so much, thank u for being here as always!!! 🥹🫶🏻💌🎀🩷
you’re the coolest - i’ve missed reading you! 💌