Is good grammar needed in writing? SURE!! What would you expect a former English teacher to say? BUT, don't let trying to figure out where your commas are, or if you need a semi-colon or an em dash, or whether you have a dangling participle stop you from getting the story down. Plenty of writers need someone else (a good editor) to pretty up their prose. If you do have a grasp of the grammar and mechanics, great. It does help, there is no denying the cleaner your draft is, the easier your editor's job is. The job of writing in general will become easier if you watch subject verb agreement, misplaced modifiers, and other glaring grammar issues.
Remember you aren't trying to please your English teacher. What you are trying to do is get your particular story across. Grammar helps you do this by making sure the words and sentences make sense. It all adds to the larger picture. Now you may have a narrator's voice who doesn't use proper grammar. Use it to your advantage. Remember Mark Twain's Huck Finn? OR more recently, Kathryn Stockett's The Help? Both stories use imperfect grammar to create narrator voices that engage and charm the reader. One caution, if it's your narrator's voice, it's good, but if it's the author's narration in poor grammar, not so good.
When in doubt, ask an expert, someone you respect who has the knowledge of good grammar, and if you are still confused, don't forget there are plenty of grammar books out there to assist you polish up your diamond in the rough.
Remember you aren't trying to please your English teacher. What you are trying to do is get your particular story across. Grammar helps you do this by making sure the words and sentences make sense. It all adds to the larger picture. Now you may have a narrator's voice who doesn't use proper grammar. Use it to your advantage. Remember Mark Twain's Huck Finn? OR more recently, Kathryn Stockett's The Help? Both stories use imperfect grammar to create narrator voices that engage and charm the reader. One caution, if it's your narrator's voice, it's good, but if it's the author's narration in poor grammar, not so good.
When in doubt, ask an expert, someone you respect who has the knowledge of good grammar, and if you are still confused, don't forget there are plenty of grammar books out there to assist you polish up your diamond in the rough.
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