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I've been trying to write a novel, and I found it demotivating to worry to much about grammar correctness while writing my stories. Sometimes I even feel that I lost my own flow and creativity just because I got busy minding about punctuation and other grammar items.

So, I would like to hear from you: What do you think must be prioritised.

I am not a writer, but I would think that creativity should come before accuracy. I am assuming that the accuracy can come later after the writing is complete. Keep the creativity flowing the best you can. Good luck!

What ever best gets your story out of your head and into text is what you should do. It may be you need to write all your thoughts at one time then come back to them later to be sure things make sense. Some of how a person writes is related to how much editing they are willing to leave until later. At a minimum the story needs to make sense to yourself when you read over what you have done.

Both. Be as creative as you can, but your characters have to live by the rules of their world. Accuracy in terms of grammar and logic should always be a given. It has to make sense. Without creativity though, you're story will just flop.

Write the story, then go back and edit it. You cannot edit a blank page.

CaptainTurtle8 wrote: ↑15 Jan 2021, 11:58 I am not a writer, but I would think that creativity should come before accuracy. I am assuming that the accuracy can come later after the writing is complete. Keep the creativity flowing the best you can. Good luck!

100% this! You want your readers to want to continue reading the book. It doesn't matter if your grammar and punctuation are on point if nobody wants to read it. But at the same time you don't want your readers to be distracted by errors.

MysticSpade wrote:

CaptainTurtle8 wrote: I am not a writer, but I would think that creativity should come before accuracy. I am assuming that the accuracy can come later after the writing is complete. Keep the creativity flowing the best you can. Good luck!

100% this! You want your readers to want to continue reading the book. It doesn't matter if your grammar and punctuation are on point if nobody wants to read it. But at the same time you don't want your readers to be distracted by errors.

I agree! I wouldn't bother interrupting the flow of creativity with grammar issues. You can always go back and edit. Exceptions aside, of course. For instance, if you were writing a book for the purpose of displaying punctuation and grammar rules, then it would make sense to pay attention to the rules a little more.

I find that different writers have different writing processes. If grammatical correctness hinders your creative flow, focus on your creative writing. Grammar can always be corrected after writing or when editing.

To write a good book, you first have to exhaust your creativity, then return to verify accuracy. Better still mind creativity and ask another to help with the accuracy. Howbeit creativity does not respect formality, it only manifests novelty. Don't you agree with me?

Creativity should always come first! That's what an editor is for!

I've heard this one advice long time ago: You only have one head, so don't try to take two roles at the same time. Put your writer's hat when you write, and when you're done, you can replace it with your editor's hat. In other words, write first and edit later.

I think creativity is the first element because accuracy is merely an organizational element.

I can't see from a certain distance and because I have the same problem as you, I take off my glasses and choose to write without being able to see clearly what I am doing. This way I write everything I think and imagine regardless of how it looks because I know what I want to say. It helps that I also know how to read my handwriting. I do this because creativity has to come first, the idea is at its best when it's raw. Afterward, it's time to remove the rough edges. When I am ready I return to type it up, clean it, edit it, and make adjustments, but I have learned to respect the process that comes before and that is to allow the idea to speak with all its glory.

I think as a writer, one should focus on creativity. That's the major stand-point from which a writer is judged. Accuracy is important though but you can get someone else to do the editing for you after you have perfected your creativity in creating the writing.

Creativity first. You can worry about the accuracy later when you finish writing.