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As a writer, I embrace grammar rules wholeheartedly. See, even in the previous sentence, I debated using a hyphen between “whole” and “heartedly,” and I wondered which would be correct. As “wholehearted” is an adjective, adding the “-ly” to the end makes it an adverb. The hyphen isn’t needed because the word exists.

Yes, I’m that big of a nerd.

Now, there are times when grammar rules may be broken. When one writes creatively, a large emphasis is placed on one’s style. “Rules are meant to be broken.” Fragments for effect, made up words, spelling items incorrectly to emphasize a dialect—these are just some ways grammar may be supplanted in order to make a point. However, the rules are important. Without the rules being used correctly (for the most part), a writer doesn’t look like he is ignoring grammar for stylistic purposes; rather, the writer usually looks uninformed, lazy, or—gasp!—the writer looks as if he thinks he’s too good to worry about grammar. (In that last sentence, I realize that my items in a series are not in perfect parallel construction, but I wrote them as published because of how they sound and the fact that the sentence remains clear.)

So, I encourage writers to make a list of grammar rules to use as a writing bible. Here’s mine:

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1) Spell all words correctly unless a dialect is used for them.

2) Know how to use punctuation correctly, such as knowing when and where to use a semicolon or the correct way to use an apostrophe.

3) Use the right word.

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4) Give a f**k about the oxford comma (unless you’re writing using rules of journalism).

5) Have a good go-to source for grammar questions. I recommend Grammar Girl.

Grammar isn’t perfect. Often, it’s hard to catch a mistake. Though I’ve combed this blog post, I’m sure I’ve made a mistake, and this post is barely over 350 words. However, it’s important to know the grammar rules and adhere to them as much as possible.

We all write, whether it’s a business letter, an email, a note to someone, or a creative piece. So, from one writer to another, I think that having your list of rules is important. What do you think? Add your thoughts to my margins.