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I diss significantly over grammar, but recently a friend lobbed a spanner into my thinking process by asking, "What if you have a great story but poor Grammar?"

In my opinion? Then get a proofreader.

Content is a big part of a story grammar can always be corrected.

kandscreeley wrote:In my opinion? Then get a proofreader.

The most important part of the story is the content. There is no use for a story with excellent spelling and grammar if the content itself is boring or is not enticing any readers. For me, grammar can always be corrected and improved upon. There are writers with bad grammar but their stories have potential, and it's unfortunate to waste good talent like that!

Content is important; i agree with this completely, but the interruption caused by bad grammar when reading, it messes eith the reading flow. For me the content would have to be exceedingly impressive to tempt me.

Sophie11 wrote:Content is important; i agree with this completely, but the interruption caused by bad grammar when reading, it messes eith the reading flow. For me the content would have to be exceedingly impressive to tempt me.

I agree. I will be too caught up with the mistakes to continue reading. I remember putting down a book completely because of bad grammar and stilted language.

Sophie11 wrote:Content is important; i agree with this completely, but the interruption caused by bad grammar when reading, it messes eith the reading flow. For me the content would have to be exceedingly impressive to tempt me.

100% agreed. I recently started a book that I was really excited to read, but by page 5, I had to put it down because the grammar, punctuation, and syntax was that bad. I know not everyone can afford a professional editor, but I have to think that the author in question still had to know SOMEONE who could proofread it somewhat.

Am a content person I never worry about Grammar even at work I hardly deal with Grammar the only action I see about grammar are a list of items and their price quotation. Recently I begin to realize that to communicate an idea or thought is not enough. Even in a story no matter how good the content without a good grammar is like the proverbial diamond in the pig snot. So to me but Grammar and Context are important, one can't do without the other.
I may even be bold to say the Grammar is far more important than the content, that is if the story has a lot of humor in it, which I believe American's are very big on.

They're both very important. Your grammar could be amazing, but your story can still put readers off for lack of content. Yet, bad grammar can greatly disrupt the flow of your story and discourage readers. A few mistakes here and there may not wreak havoc. However, anyone can tell when the writer is just terrible at grammar!

I recently followed a set of grammatically perfect instructions to assemble a bunk bed. I would never consider reading them again (unless reassembling the bed). The grammar allowed me to follow the content more easily--I didn't have to stop and re-read them to figure out the next steps. It's the same concept for this thread. Grammar is the tool that helps us understand the content. Lack of precise grammar creates an obstacle for understanding the content. But sometimes the incorrect grammar is precisely the point, such as when conveying spoken dialogue; most people don't speak using perfect grammar. In those cases, the precise way in which grammar is lacking can help explain the character.

DavidOchieng wrote:I diss significantly over grammar, but recently a friend lobbed a spanner into my thinking process by asking, "What if you have a great story but poor Grammar?"

Always proof read

Grammar can always be addressed by a third party, but they can't come up with your ideas for you. Bad grammar in a book is like trying to listen to a public speaker who says "ummm" constantly. It significantly detracts from the message, no matter how compelling or well thought out.

This was my struggle about two weeks ago. I started on this book that seemed like it would have a good plot, but then I was forced to put it down because the spelling and sentence structure were really, really bad. For instance, the author wrote no "since" at all when he meant no "sense" at all -- and this was not an ordinary typo because the entire first chapter was riddled with things like this.
Screw the plot. Why would an author want to make his/her readers suffer?

If you can't convey your thoughts in writing, would that still make you a writer?

Sometimes poor or eccentric grammar is with a reason - eg, 'The True History of the Kelly Gang'. At first I found this hard going but now realise why it was written how it was and appreciate it.