Firstly, I would say that it doesn't help much if a mediocre, boring story is written in a grammatically perfect way. Its still boring then.
For myself, I don't expect to have the grammar right. Not in english, because it's not my native language and I learned it on a autodidactic base.
But not even in German, which is my native language. Since I went to school, we had about 3 "grammar reforms" in Germany, where rules and spelling of a lot of words been randomly changed.
To be honest, I don't give a damn anymore. If someone doesn't understand what I meant to say, he can ask me again. Or not.
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I totally get what you are saying here. My son doesn't write but reads ALOT. I think writers sometimes forget that some readers don't write and want writing that looks normal not regimented. He says that he cannot read a book if it goes into to much description and he reads big head twisting books than need a lot of attention. The books have to be simply written, sometimes I think trying to be too perfect sends a book, or writing off track...
Well, as I said, first a good book needs a good story. A crappy story can be told as eloquently as it can be, it stays a crappy story.
And secondly, I think a writer should stay... how to put it... natural. Tell a story the way he would tell it by nature, and not try to tell it like somene else would have. That is the essence in all art, I guess. A musician can try to make a piece of music that sounds like one from a famous musician, or a painter can make a painting that looks like a typical Kandinsky. But thats just saying something about the technical skills, not about artistic expression.
Oh well, I should stop babbling. :) All I wanted to say is, write the way you want to tell a story to someone. There are no laws about how many complicated words need to be in a book.
You are not babbling....and I agree!
yeah, as an experimental writer who likes to color outside the lines, i'd have to disagree with the idea of writing in a "natural" way. there's nothing better than forcing one's self to try other styles that they're not familiar with in an effort to learn something new that might get added to their literary arsenal of storytelling. trying to write like another writer opens up other avenues that could possibly become natural to the writer if they find they like the nature of the style and it comes more easily than other styles before it.
but you're right; "write the way you want to tell a story to someone" is a perfect maxim.