There is a certain magic associated with books. They transport you, whisk you away to far away places and times. Whole worlds are created and destroyed with the turning of a page. A good book can make you laugh, cry, and even change the way you see the world.
For those of you who don't know me, I will read just about anything I can get my hands on but I have a special place in my heart for literature written for, by, or about England. I love the mystical quality that seems to pervade even the most mundane works because they carry that special trait of simply being ENGLISH.
That being said, I recently discovered a major flaw in the literary world. Recently, I started a book written by an English author. So far, so good. The plot line, while certainly not original, was mildly entertaining. However this particular author seemed to be intrigued by the American condition. So being, the work was based in Washington, DC and included only American characters.
You may be wondering why this is important. I will tell you. This author (I use the term loosely) committed the ultimate literary sin. He wrote about what he did not know. His dialogue was obviously an attempt at American speech, unfortunately he inserted so many English colloquialisms and turns of phrase that the result was a lamentable mishmash of broken "English".
The horror was unimaginable! How this was published escapes me! If you do not know of what you speak, remain silent! What this "writer" did was a travesty ! A corruption! A perversion! A mockery of that which defines words that are written down versus the written word! Truly, this was a painful experience.
I urge anyone contemplating writing to please make sure of the facts, the dialogue, the culture of which you write. By doing so, you will separate yourself from the drivel that calls itself a book.
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