Punctuation Or Not

[BigRed]

I think I already said you must be able to use punctuation /and/ to not use punctuation. To limit yourself to either is to create a poverty of your writing. The same is true of every other tool in the kit. If you become subjective as a writer, the writing suffers for it.

Ah, I think I need to clarify my point then. I'm not arguing that one ought to never use proper rules of grammar, punctuation and mechanics. I was merely arguing that it's okay not to, if that's what the piece calls for.

Perhaps we're on more common ground than first thought...

and how would a poet know if it's the right time if they don't know the rules.

some on here are still learning the basics (i hope) would you tell them the same thing?

I would never steer someone away from learning the rules and fundamentals. That's just basic and should occur. My only contention is that I think it should not always be strictly followed thereafter.

In other words, I think the only way someone can artistically curtail conventional rules of poetry is by knowing them. If you're curtailing them out of not knowing them, then that's just incompetence.