When I first started writing, my grammar was as close to perfect as I could get it (which wasn’t that great, because I was eleven, but you get the idea). The more I wrote, the less I liked it, because it was just boring. It felt like reading a school book. Sure, it was technically correct, but it just felt stiff. I decided to try and write the way I talk, and see if it made a difference.
I don’t know about you, but I like reading the way people talk a lot more than reading something that’s “correct”. One of my favorite things in a book is when an author writes a character with a specific accent, because that means they put thought into their characters. It’s easy to write something “correct”, because that’s what we’re taught in school. It’s not so easy to take a step outside the box and write an accent like Hagrid’s, from Harry Potter. It also brings so much more life to what you’re reading. When you use your own creativity in writing, it brings the words to life. It’s like how sheet music turns into something that inspires people when it’s played. Words, and writing, can do the same.
My parents always taught me that when you learn something, that’s when you can step out, and try new things, and choose if you’re going to keep doing it. My writing is just another form of artistic expression, so of course I would find some way to do things differently. However, there is a time and place for everything.
I write personally when it’s time to be personal, and serious when it’s time to be serious. I wouldn’t necessarily write personally on a job application, because that’s when it’s time to use this handy little thing called grammar. Each thing has it’s place, and as long as you use it in the correct place, you can’t go wrong.