I blame English class and English teachers.
This is bold for me.
I am an English teacher.
At least have been for 18+ years as of this writing.
But it’s still true: English teachers are to blame for the collective terror of the American writer.
So Many “Rules”
When you write, a thousand assorted rules and guidelines flow through your mind.
Don’t start a sentence with “And” or “Because!”
Don’t use the first person!
Don’t put a comma there!
Don’t, don’t DON’T!
Worse, every English teacher has their own nit-picky preferences that aren’t actual rules.
They’re preferences.
Stylistic choices.
Guidelines.
Yet for many of us, these “rules” were declared as holy gospel.
And if you broke them, you were punished and shamed.
You can probably guess by now, but I have to say it regardless:
Most of the aforementioned “rules” are not really rules.
There is no rule that says you can’t start a sentence with “Because” or “And.”
There is no rule against using the first person.
Are there times when these are less than ideal? Yes—a lot of the time.
But they aren’t carved in stone.
The Only Real Rule
Worst of all, English teachers tend to forget the most important rule of writing.
It’s a rule that 99.9% of English students don’t learn: Write for your reader.
Wait, you ask. Who is “the reader?”
Great question. And the answer for many of us with High School Writing Trauma is the same: The teacher.
In the classroom, the teacher is God. Their preferences are glorious, their rules are sacred.
You must do as He or She sayeth.
So for 99.9% of us, we grew up writing for one hallowed person at a time: Our English teacher.
This is so far from reality in the marketplace.
When you write, you’re not writing for a judge or overseer. You’re not doing so to score well on a rubric or earn high praise in the margins.
You’re creating content meant to inspire, entertain, inform, and motivate the specific person you’re marketing to.
In other words, you’re writing for a new target reader: The person your business helps with their pain and problem.
Everything you do must be targeted toward them, and only them.
Not your teachers.
Not your professors.
Not the invisible perfectionist troll living inside your brain.
Just your ideal customer, client, and reader.
Writer, Heal Thyself
This is a major first hurdle for many traumatized writers.
If the ghost of Mrs. (or Mr.) So-and-So is lurking over your shoulder when you write, it’s time for an exorcism.
It’s time to tell that critical voice to leave you alone because you’re about to do something much better than earn a grade.
You’re going to make an impact.
You’re going to transform broken lives.
You’re going to create something so important that a rubric doesn’t exist to score it.
Goodbye, mean English teacher.
Hello, self-confidence.