The “Rules of Grammar” and Novel Writing

I recently read a blog post/article about “breaking the rules of grammar” in novel writing and thought I’d chime in as it’s a common topic among authors that often stirs much controversy. First, I’d like to point out that everything in this article/blog is my own opinion. Moreover, there is no theorem or equation to prove or disprove any of this—it’s a conjecture-based subject, after all.

With that in mind, the article in question held that breaking (I believe the actual word used was ‘ignoring’) rules of grammar is justifiable when writing a novel so long as you simply ‘know the rules’ being broken. This sentiment seems to be shared by many aspiring authors, and while I strongly believe that grammar ought to be looked upon with more elasticity and flexibility in novel writing than with other forms of writing, I don’t think ignoring grammar altogether is a good way of putting…