Something I believe about writing;

Writing should for the most part sound like you talking and telling your story to your friends. Part of what made the classics great and turn them into classics, was that they so wonderfully embodied the time and place from which they originated. In most circumstances we do ourselves no favor when our own voices are not to truly be found in our work, somewhere. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but when I read a book I like to hear the author's voice and feel like I am being told a story by an old friend. Of course this is just me and my opinion. To each their own.