Commas Are The bane of my existence. To quote my wonderful and amazingly patient editor, "You sure are a comma-happy little bitch, aren't you?" He's absolutely correct about that. As I write a story, I go merrily on my way sprinkling commas about like fairy dust.
He And I have had many conversations about my use of commas. He tries, repeatedly, to help me understand the necessary balance. Commas are necessary, but they should never be used to excess. For example, if I were to show him what I'm writing at this moment, he would tell me that this sentence: "He tries, repeatedly, to help me understand the necessary balance," should not have any commas at all. It's something that I have struggled with for years, and will most likely continue to struggle with.
By The Same token, please, try to use a few commas here and there. There's something rather odd about a sentence that goes on for thirty or forty words, with nary a comma in sight. I have the terrible habit of overusing commas to the extreme; I've seen stories where there was not one comma in the entire piece. I shudder as I think about it, because I remember what it was like trying to read it.
This Topic Brings me to something that I feel is absolutely critical for any good author. I won't linger on it here, but I want to stress the need for having a good editor. I'll talk more about that on a different page; I just want to plant the seed of the idea in your brain, and have you think about a person or persons you might feel comfortable asking to act in that capacity for you.
There Really Isn't a lot more that I can say about commas here. Just try to be aware of how you use them, as well as how often you use them.
Topics of Discussion