I do think that spelling and grammar are important, simply because they make any piece of writing flow better. I also think correct word usage is important both for clarity and flow. Punctuation is also important.....

All this said I have read stories, and posts, on sites elsewhere, which have been lacking in all these and still been damned good stories.

I am aware that my writing is frequently imperfect so I try not to criticise even if something does grate on me.

I think what annoys me more are the people who either criticise others and yet dont try themselves , or who are scathing of others minor mistakes while often making major ones themselves.

One point I would make is that dictionaries are a good helpmate, but you do have to have a basic idea of how the word is spelled in order to look it up.