Connecting Readers and Writers discussion

I was recently slammed in a review for, among other things, incorrect usage of towards/forwards/backwards. Nothing more specific. I was consistent in my usage and I couldn't find anything that I considered incorrect. I use the Free Online Dictionary to check certain things and if that is unclear I do internet searches. Usage of these words seems to vary somewhat by dialect, and both forms seem to be considered correct unless one is talking about use of forward/backward as adjectives. (I'm talking about use of them with or without the -s, otherwise they aren't that complicated.) Can anyone point me toward/towards a reputable source that presumes to give rigid, correct advice on this? Not sure that I can change the habits of a lifetime but I'd like to know if the majority consider them "sloppy."

Thanks much, Sheila

Shelia, sit back, take a deep breath, sip your favorite drink and relax! DON'T let ONE review stir you up so much. This reviewer sounds petty, and some reviewers can have peculiar hang-ups. Now, if several reviewers point out the same thing, that's another matter. If not, I wouldn't let it bother you. As a writer, you have a certain poetic license with towards/forwards/backwards.

The important thing is: Do you have a good story where the characters resonate perfectly with the plot. That's what your reviewer should have been addressing.

Hi Gerald,
Thanks. That is excellent advice and sorely needed. Actually, she liked the story and characters, but tore me apart on editing. I have to admit, re-reading my work on this first book a year after publishing it, that some of it is valid. Of course, I'm trying to fix EVERYTHING. IMMEDIATELY. But I can't fix what I don't find wrong, if you know what I mean.
Thanks again for the advice. I'll work on that as well as the book.
Sheila

Hi Henry,
Yes, I read that in one source as well. Then I read that both were okay (I was taught that as well) and it was a regional preference. I was definitely raised with the -s versions in my area of the upper Midwest. It's what I use when I converse. It's what I write automatically.

Hey, but thanks. I agree in principle, but it's a book-killer of a review.

Thanks for the encouragement, though.
Sheila

I tried to stick to the versions without the s... My first drafts had them going every which way so I looked into the different usages and found the same thing Henry stated.

I chose the US version and made things consistent. Now when my characters put on their armour and turn toward their opponent, everything reads consistantly.

S.J. wrote: "Hi Henry,
Yes, I read that in one source as well. Then I read that both were okay (I was taught that as well) and it was a regional preference. I was definitely raised with the -s versions in my a..."

I just went through this on my last book. I have always used towards, though I am American, and I think I've figured out it was because I was raised on Dickens and other such British writers. I once read a Neil Gaiman blog where he said his latest book was being prepped for the US, and one of the changes was switching towards to toward.

Personally, I'd never think of hitting someone in a review on their editing, though I have on occasion sent a list of typos to an indie publisher because I know we all need all the help we can get.

I don't offer the same services to the big publishers. And they often have as many typos. I figure what with all of their worker-drones, they should get them all their lonesome.

And hey, at least the reviewer liked your story and characters. That's awesome.