[Feanor of the Peredhil]

My understanding is that LotR is replete with examples of how, in literary theory, one is supposed not to write a book. I am sure that I will be corrected if I am wrong (Bêthberry? ),

No need for Bethberry to assure you of your correctness, I can confidently inform you that you have successfully avoided splitting that infinitive.

My Geometry teacher would say the same thing!!!

My Calculus teacher likes "Now you take these numbers, and plug them into that equation, and see what happens." Math class is like a Glade commercial... plug it in, plug it in.

My view of writing instructors is that they tend to instruct you in the "correct" way to write based on their personal preferences for what they like to read. I got 80s on my first few papers this year for English because my teacher doesn't grade the same way as my old teacher did. His taste in literature is far different than hers, and so he prefers different styles than she did.

One "bad habit" that The Lord of the Rings taught me, and that my English teacher pounces on me for, is beginning a sentence with the word 'and'. He hands me back papers covered in red marks for where I use sentence fragments to add a little spice, where I start a sentence with 'and' because I like how it sounds, where I lost him with some random reference... All bad habits (in his opinion) that I picked up from "That stupid hobbit stuff".

I honestly wish more writers would break the rules and write something interesting, as opposed to cookie cutter books with the same plot, same character ideas, and same everything. I appreciate that there is pretty much nothing orginal any more, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

Fea