“Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of bar-room vernacular, that is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed and attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I have.”
- - Raymond Chandler- From a letter to his editor regarding a proofreader who had changed Chandler’s split infinitives.
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1 response so far ↓
1 Don // Jul 11, 2006 at 4:06 am
Great quote. One of the most difficult hurdles to clear as an editor is learning to preserve the writer’s voice. English grammar has so many rules, but how can you learn them when they keep changing? I eventually realized that going with change instead of fighting it makes your work less stressful.
I’ve been hoping to reconnect with you, Mark. Labels don’t matter to me. People do. That includes you.
Jun 18, 4:32 PM
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