To me, “writing how you talk” also stands in for, like, writing with good auditory flow. I often consider how many syllables a sentence has, and how they roll off the tongue. In some sense this matters less when people are reading silently, but since (most?) readers use their inner voice, lyrical language can still be valuable. This is another pretty strong injunction against long sentences; it’s hard to imagine them being spoken, and so it’s hard for them to be beautiful/aesthetic. It’s also an argument for using lots of commas, to help show the reader when their inner orator should breathe.
To me, “writing how you talk” also stands in for, like, writing with good auditory flow. I often consider how many syllables a sentence has, and how they roll off the tongue. In some sense this matters less when people are reading silently, but since (most?) readers use their inner voice, lyrical language can still be valuable. This is another pretty strong injunction against long sentences; it’s hard to imagine them being spoken, and so it’s hard for them to be beautiful/aesthetic. It’s also an argument for using lots of commas, to help show the reader when their inner orator should breathe.