BR Writer’s Tips: Who’s Afraid of Contractions?

Ladies and gentleman:

Bleacher Report is not the New York Times. Your English teacher is not on duty. It is sometimes acceptable, every once in a great while, to maybe, maybe, maybe…

Use a contraction, for God’s sake.

I’m not saying to use contractions exclusively—but keep in mind that they have a real impact on the tone of your work. A writer who never uses contractions, and who will not compromise, and who does not care, and who cannot hear how anal he sounds…is bound to turn off readers sooner rather than later.

So: Be natural in your writing. If you’d use a contraction in normal speech, don’t hesitate to incorporate it into your work. The best Bleacher Report submissions are those which convey the natural voices of their authors—and using contractions wisely can go a long a way towards helping you establish a signature style.

And hey: It won’t kill you.