Sunday, December 14, 2008

I have a confession...

I have an addiction... It not one you'll think is bad, unless you happen to be my editor. LOL.

My addiction is commas. I noticed when I was editing some of my work last night. I put commas everywhere.
Now I'll be the first to admit that grammar is not my forte, I'm getting better at it, but I'm still not great. I also have issues with spelling, but that's another post.

Yeah I hear you.
"So why did you become a writer?"

Because despite these things I'm good at it. And these things can be learned, if you really put your mind to it. Also doesn't everyone make grammar or spelling mistakes every now and again.

Now what do I plan to do about my little problem.
My very first editor suggested I buy a book called
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Which of course I did.
I've also discovered a podcast called, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.
And of course the internet is full of useful sites, like these.
How To Use The Comma: Simple rules and hints that help you stop comma abuse
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
The Guide to Grammar and Writing
Basically I'm going to teach myself high school English, but hey at least I'm trying to fix my comma addiction. Now quick question how many times did I misuse a comma in this post?

7 comments:

Ironeyes said...

Twice

Judy said...

I admit that I am not good at correct punctuation, but I would say three.

Anonymous said...

I'm gonna say 2 times. I use them in the wrong way all the time.

Dianna C said...

I count 2 and one spot where you could have used a comma but you put a period lol.

P. Robinson said...

I'm a comma whore myself. The other day someone told me I missed putting in a few commas and I laughed out loud!

Kissa

Anonymous said...

Yeah I'm with Kissa, I'm a comma slut. I can't use them enough. I have to make sure I check myself all the time.

Jade Twilight said...

Ok well guess I need to teach myself a little better. :)

But it's good to know I'm not alone.