In my experience as a writer, here are the most common errors I have seen!
Read the disclaimer for clear skin.
Marked as complete for now but might get new chapters in the future.
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#1 in contest (21.7k stories) ; #1 in writingcontest (6.5k storie...
It's similar here. Even if the grammar isn't the best, as long as it's readable, I'm willing to consider it as an honorable mention. I think the winners should have at least competent grammar, but I'll take a great story over great grammar any day of the week. Especially on Wattpad. This is supposed to be a fun website where you can do whatever you want. I don't want to hold authors to unrealistic standards. I've always, and I mean always, judged based on concept more than grammar.
Grammar is important, but on a site like Wattpad that's overrun with the same four tropes and terrible Y/ns, I think it's even more important to have creativity.
But again, that's just my opinion, and I completely understand others needing a story to have great grammar in order for them to enjoy it.
Another "hot take" I have (although I don't think it's actually that hot) is that it's far easier to fix technical writing than it is to fix creative writing. It's easier to learn grammar than it is to learn the complexities that go into character writing, or creating fluent dialogue, or making coherent themes, etc.
That's why I'm not super strict about grammar unless the contest specifically asks me to be. At that point, I'm just following the rules, y'know?
I figured if I'm going to make an entire chapter about grammar, you might as well know how I view grammar and how it impacts stories. I hope that makes sense.
Their They're + There
Ah, the dreaded three.
I know quite a few people who don't know the difference between their they're and there. It's actually much simpler than you think once you break it down. I'm a visual learner, so let's look at this picture:
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This picture is what I think of whenever I try to explain their there and they're to someone.
"Their" refers to a person, so think of the "i" like a little person. Their means belonging to "them," whoever them is in context of the situation. It is the possessive form of "they."
For example: Their textbooks cost fifty dollars.
"There" refers to a location, so think of the "r" like an arrow.
For example: The theatre is over there.
"They're" is the contraction form of "they are." Think of the ' like an a.
For example: They're going to the movies today.
OR: They are going to the movies today.
It's the same sentence, only the first one is the contracted form.
It's pretty simple when you break it down, but the problem is that since they sound the same, they're hard to tell apart. Notice how I used "they're" in that sentence because I meant "they are," not "there" or "their."
