I am calling this “I am sorry for my English” letter, but seriously, I am not sorry at all. Because I love to write and what I write, only I can write. Grammar is a skill that can be learned. It’s not an easy one, obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this letter. BUT… no one can learn to be me.
What I mean by this is that for years I have stopped myself because of perfectionism, because of my fear of writing sentences my kind of way and not grammatically correct kind of way. One day I will have an editor to edit my texts but until that day comes, I am being unapologetically myself, including my funky Lithuanian English grammar.
Sorry but I am not sorry – I have spent 30 years in Lithuania and 6 years in Australia. My experience, reading list, and conscious willingness to learn to write properly has helped me evolve, but I didn’t grow up in an English speaking country! I am owning up to that but I am also pre-warning any grammar police officers – I love English, I love to write but I will make mistakes without knowing that I am making them, because trust me, even in Lithuanian my grammar is sub-par.
I believe in things that I share and if I were to wait until I am perfect enough, I might be writing this from the grave… Oh, wait! We don’t know anyone who could do that!
So here you have it.
I am not really that sorry that my English isn’t perfect. The amount of books I read, and the grammar guides I have in my shelves are just absurd, so it’s not like I am not trying my best. But I say – let’s drop this search for perfect language and give language back to people who use it.
Some things just gotta be said the way that they come. And that’s the way I like it.
I am setting the lesson here – grammar is great but no grammar doesn’t mean that you have to hold yourself back. I’m certainly not holding myself back.
Cheers.