Writing, So To Speak

Grammar and spelling are weird, or at least they’re weird in relation to how we actually talk.  Think about it – there are lots of things that are wrong in writing that we use in everyday conversation.  Instead of singular when talking about his or her car, we say “their car,” even though we’re only talking about one person.  We constantly end sentences with prepositions.  And we add extraneous words that don’t have much to do with the content of the conversation, but which we find comforting.

So why does this matter to us?  It matters as a writer because we have to figure out how it affects our writing style.  A lot of books are stuffy and erudite, but that can be a turn off for many people because we just don’t speak that way.  So how conversational should our writing be?

My own style tends to be very informal.  I want readers to feel as if they’re in a conversation, or like they’re sitting around a fire being told a story by an old storyteller.  If writing is too formal, it turns off people who might otherwise be attracted to what you have to say.  Yes, there are people who appreciate formal writing styles, but the stories that incorporate them aren’t usually the kinds of stories I tell.  Pride & Prejudice is a great story(I guess) and should be a more formal style, but books about giant insects sent by God don’t lend themselves well to formality.

I guess it all comes down to knowing the audience, as well as knowing your own comfort level on how you write.  I’m not sure I can tell a story in a stuffy and formal way, or at least not in a way I or anyone else would enjoy.  And if I’m not enjoying the writing, I can promise that the audience won’t enjoy what I have to say.