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What to do when grammar gets you down.

TGNewman

Scribe
I've been getting feedback on my work. Story is solid, but the grammar and use of adjectives needs work.

My trouble with commas is getting me down. I woke up this morning eager to write, but now all I'm doing is chewing through my work, trying to sort out grammatical issues. I want to make progress today, but I don't see how.

Any advice guys and gals?

Kind Regards,

Thomas
 
I avoid most problems with commas by trying not to let more than two into a sentence, unless some are obviously forming a straight-line chain ("Do I run, or hide, or talk, or fight?"). Besides those two I might use one dash, elipse, or semicolon--they break a sentence into larger chunks, without getting confused with the commas.
 

Guru Coyote

Archmage
One tool that has helped me a lot is:
Pro Writing Aid - Free Editing Software
It won't teach you how to write, but at least it will point out the issues in your text and re-evaluate it when you made changes. Not sure how helpful this will be with commas, though.

Another good advice might be to find someone who is good at editing and ask them to sit down with you and go through your text and point out issues and how to fix them. Sometimes this can even be done via email, but that requires a lot of work on the side of the editor (marking the issues and adding comments/suggestions, etc.)
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
Commas are slaves to my will. I use them when and where I want them for reasons of rhythm, pacing, sentence flow, and so on. I find it more productive to just focus on how the sentence sounds rather than trying to fixate on grammatical rules in that regard. I'm perfectly happy to throw in a comma when the rules don't call for one, or to remove one when they do.

As for adjectives...do you have an example?
 
C

Chessie

Guest
Try reading your work aloud. This works well for me. I'll be reading and whaaa? Oh, that does not sound right (fix), continue reading. I think its helpful in gauging pace, etc. Look up examples of grammar and sentence structure on the internet. I found several youtube videos that were helpful. :)
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
I say bite the bullet and make sure you relatively confident in what you're doing with grammar. Grammar isn't my strong point, but when I'm writing, I try to make sure I know what I'm doing. When I come across grammar issues, I make sure I know the rule before I break it.

Why not spend time figuring out proper grammar before forging ahead. Because it just means you'll be making more mistakes that you'll have to fix later on.
 

ecdavis

Troubadour
At the risk of sounding like a rebel, I'd say write first, do the best you can, but worry about grammar in the editing process. Nothing will kill creativity more than worrying about correct punctuation and such. Most word processors have a bare-bones grammar checker, but I'd say have a couple of good proofreaders read your work afterwards. You are certainly not alone in this problem. Commas, semi-colons and the use of capitals have always been a stumbling block for me. It makes me wonder how many wonderful stories are never written because the potential writers are too scared to try in fear of revealing their lack of mastery of the craft.

ecdavis
 

Ghost

Inkling
I've been getting feedback on my work. Story is solid, but the grammar and use of adjectives needs work.

My trouble with commas is getting me down. I woke up this morning eager to write, but now all I'm doing is chewing through my work, trying to sort out grammatical issues. I want to make progress today, but I don't see how.

Any advice guys and gals?

For general grammar help, I'd suggest getting a book or style guide. I like learning about grammar, but most grammar books are perfectly terrible. They can be a collision of condescending tone, outdated rules, and dry style. If a book on writing or grammar is boring, it's not going to teach me how to write engaging work. I'd recommend The Deluxe Transitive Vampire. It's short, sweet, and basic. I don't have a recommendation for a style and usage guide, but I suggest visiting a library to find a guide that appeals to you.

For specific grammar issues, I turn to Google. Sometimes, I just need to brush up or get clarification. Searching "how to use a comma" pulls up these results:

Purdue's Online Writing Lab: Extended Rules for Using Commas (great website for grammar help.)
UNC's Writing Center: Commas
The Complete Idiot's Guide: How to Use a Comma
wikiHow Comma Usage Cheat Sheet

Purdue's OWL and Grammar Girl are good. I also like browsing ESL forums because people usually explain why something is done and how it's used by regular people.

Maybe you could pull a Hemingway and throw most of your commas out. ;)

I avoid most problems with commas by trying not to let more than two into a sentence, unless some are obviously forming a straight-line chain ("Do I run, or hide, or talk, or fight?").

I wouldn't use commas like this. "Do I run or hide or talk or fight?" is marginally better because you're not splitting the subject from the verbs, but I'm not a fan of this construction. I guess it depends on your style and whether you think the effect is worth it.
 
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Guru Coyote

Archmage
Commas, by the way, can save lives. Don't think so? Consider this: "Let's eat Daddy." And then this: "Let's eat, Daddy."

(sorry, coun't resist. Blame it on the Coyote.)
 
Don't worry too much about the grammar while you're writing the first draft. You can fix commas and adjectives and so on when the story is all written. When you've told the story and ironed out the plot holes, then you can do a later sweep with a grammar primer like Anne Stillman's "Grammatically Correct" considering the commas and other fine tuning.
 

LadyKatina

Dreamer
I'm going to jump on the "don't try to edit as you write" bandwagon. It's like trying to pat yourself on the head and rub your belly simultaneously. However...

Sometimes, going back and copyediting the passage I just wrote gets me unstuck when I'm blocked. I just have to remember when I shift gears from editing brain to writing brain, to turn off editing brain. Otherwise, I get frustrated because the new stuff is rougher than what I just edited. Well, yeah. You just edited that part, silly.

Perhaps you're stuck because your brain wants to edit, and you're trying to draft. Maybe if you let your brain edit some previously-drafted stuff, it will allow you to shift gears and start drafting again.

Also....

When I first started getting serious about writing again, I discovered all these rules I didn't know before. Like "Adverbs are the devil" and such like. On the one hand, I felt like I was being initiated into the Cool Kids of Professional Writing Tips Club. On the other hand, I became really self-conscious about those things that never bothered me about my writing before.

It's good that you are taking language and grammar seriously. They're your toolset, and as a professional you should take your tools seriously. But don't let that focus on the tools get in the way of creating. Your drafts will be messy. Create first, craft later.
 

Twook00

Sage
Many are saying to write the story now and worry about grammar later. I think this is true so long as you don't plan on showing it to anyone until the grammar has been corrected. If you are wanting critiques, though, and have not yet made those corrections, poor grammar will confuse the reader and draw attention away from your story.

I think of it like a wagon going down a road. Grammatical errors are potholes and rocks. Every time I hit one, it slows me down and throws me off course (and out of the story).
 
Hi,

Ask Grandpa!

Sorry couldn't resist. And commas can get people sued. A long time ago when people were still using telegrams a comma cost someone at the post office a lot of money. He had an agent buying a thoroughbred for him so communications were by telegram. The agent having seen the horse and heard the price sent back a message saying the horse was several hundreds of thousands of dollars, and asking him if he should proceed to buy it. The buyer sent back "No, price too high." But the agent received "No price too high." That was an expenisive comma.

My thought is to do both while writing. Yes as the muse takes you write. Write like the wind, and damned by the punctuation and syntax. But always rewrite what you've written, when you're not so inspired, and that's the time to start checking on errors. Then of course get someone else to proof it when the time is right.

Cheers, Greg.
 
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