The Foundations of a Book
Often we talk about two foundational aspects of a book: character and plot. But there is a third one that should be considered before anybody else reads your story.
Contrary to what people may think, writing isn’t a skill. Rather, it’s a cache of skills a writer must master and use to create a truly amazing book.
Similarly, a lot of advice you’ll see about writing books will say the characters and the plot are the two most important parts of the book’s foundation. But there’s a third often overlooked one that is critical to a book’s success.
That element is grammar.
Grammar is one of the points copyeditors/proofreaders will check and correct, but that doesn’t mean it should also come last when writing your book. Instead, think of it as the third core pillar of your book.
Grammar is the glue that holds a story together. Without it we lose pacing and comprehension, and the story becomes a mess of seemingly unconnected events.
This isn’t to say you should have perfect grammar (nobody does), but grammar should be the third element you consider when writing and revising early drafts of your book. Without the clarity of good grammar, beta readers, editors, and other early-stage readers may miss important aspects of your story, forcing you to rewrite plots and characters that don’t need it.
Beta readers probably suffer from this the most. Often beta readers are avid readers or fellow authors who won’t be asking why a story doesn’t make sense. And to an extent, that’s not their job. If the story doesn’t make sense, a beta reader will tell you, but it’s down to you, the author, to figure out why (or to a trained developmental editor!).
Grammar is one of the core skills of an author — without it, how can you convey the story to your readers?
Most of us don’t write with grammar in mind but revising that first draft with your focus on character, plot, and grammar will help you improve your story, get more valuable feedback, and publish it sooner.
What do you think, should grammar be the third building block of a novel, or should it be left to the editors?