Charlotte Church in the Guardian

[JessieMcJessie]

Here

This is on the site today and she had another piece in a few weeks ago. The writing style is really good- do you think she’s writing this stuff herself or it’s ghosted? It just seems so at odds with how I’ve seen her speak on TV- I mean she comes across as perfectly pleasant and bright (and spoke well at the Leveson enquiry) but this is another level.

Looney lefty spouting crap I’m not sure there’s much of a left wing agenda in a lightweight piece about smart phone use...?

Or are you just saying that because the article is in the Guardian?

I'm not a fan of CC but goodness me this is a nasty thread. Of course I can believe she wrote the Guardian piece.

Like others said, she went to very good schools (private). I would love to send my kids to Howells (Cardiff)

Writing well is a particular skill CC might well have it - or not.

There are entire industries built on the fact that someone can be intelligent and accomplished - or just famous - and still need help expressing themselves in print. This could mean anything from a light edit to a complete rewrite.

Yes, because how could a chavvy Welsh girl who got pregnant at 20 possibly know who T.S. Eliot was, eh?

Nasty thread indeed.

Yes, because how could a chavvy Welsh girl who got pregnant at 20 possibly know who T.S. Eliot was, eh?

You are the only person who has said this. OP was wondering whether the writing style was unusually good for someone without much professional writing experience (it is), she never questioned the content and she certainly didn't call Charlotte Church a chav - you did.

she never questioned the content and she certainly didn't call Charlotte Church a chav - you did.

Yeah. Right.

Oh for goodness sake DistanceCall I said nothing of the sort. Stop stirring for the sake of it- this is Chat, not AIBU. (Cheers NewAccount)

Why is her class in question at all? Can working class people by definition not write well? That's weird, because the only 2 people I know who write for a living are definitely from working class backgrounds.
I read this implication on here all the time-that middle class people are the only ones who can ever be intelligent or well read-and it actually shocks me how sheltered the lives of those assuming that must have been.

I never mentioned class at any point IfNotNow!

Whilst there are a handful of excellent state schools, public education tends to be of a much higher quality. Of course, the majority of working class children aren't able to attend public schools, as their parents don't have the finacial means.

I will also mention that The Guardian doesn't often have a left-wing agenda, it often actually supports neoliberalism.

The Fellow with the Simple Face (played rugby for Wales back in the 00s IIRC; I conveniently forget his name ) messed her up a bit professionally and personally. It didn't help that she was constantly in the toilet-paper weekly rags as an object of gossip, bracketed with the likes of Katie Price which is not who she is at all.

I like CC. I didn't think the writing was that great. Nothing bad just nothing to be particularly impressed with, unless your expectations weren't good to start with. So I wonder what you were expecting?

For those mentioning class. Even if she was from a poorer working class background, (which I gather isn't the case), why wouldn't she be able to write well? I came across this kind of patronising snobbery when I was younger and it's sad to see it continues:

She's always come across as very intelligent to me. She also has a point and I should put my phone down now.

By the by, this is the third T.S.Eliot quote I've read today! There must've been a sale on.

I'm very much the same. My verbal and written styles are divergent. I tumble over my words when I speak and so I keep it quite simple but in words I can truly express what I mean and it tends to come across quite eloquent and flouncy.

Being able to expressing yourself well in writing (eg writing clear reports/letters/instructions etc) is not the same as being able to write good newspaper copy though, most people don’t realise that till they try it.

It's creative writing. She has flair, she's engaging, and she would be a fantastic author of a novel. It's not hard if you've got a natural hyperbolic and creative flair for the written word.

I never mentioned class at any point IfNotNow!
Fairly certain I never mentioned you by name.

I know. What I mean is that, as the OP, I did not expect this to become a discussion revolving around class.

The Fellow With A Simple Face is a dick off the pitch. However he is a stellar player on it. One of those next level players. She chose well if being top of your field was something she wanted in a bloke.

Thinking about it the Guardian has some truly awful columnists, especially the US ones, really poor writing from some of them, you wouldn't have them in a school magazine. So CC has to be better than that and I wish her well.