What's Proper?

 

Terry Shames here, talking about whether I  find that proper grammar and structure sometimes interfere with style and tone, and  what liberties I take with language for the sake of style.

The operative word for me is “proper.” I don’t let anything interfere with the style and tone of what I’m writing, especially not some subjective idea of “proper” grammar and structure. 

                                    Small town Texas

I write books set in Texas, which means there’s a certain style and tone a...