Correction, Thanks, and Commas
August 14, 2024 by Harvey
In today’s Journal
* Correction
* Thank You
* Commas
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Correction
Yesterday’s Of Interest link to “Tips to Create a Series Bible” somehow went to the wrong place.
Turns out I indadvertently added the link from the Quote of the Day yesterday—which apparently also no longer goes to Farnam Stree Blog, which I suspect is now defunct.
Anyway, I went to KillZone blog and found the post. Here’s the correct link.
Also, if you are interested in series bibles, I recommend you visit the Journal website and type “series bible” into the Search box.
Thank You
If you are being patient with me, thank you. I appreciate it. I’ve already lost one paid subscriber after I “backed away” from posting every day.
Which I hasten to add is is perfectly fine. Everyone has their own reasons for how they choose (or need) to spend their finances. For some folks at some times, $3 or $5 makes all the difference.
As I attempt to change my schedule around and deal with some (non-medical) personal issues, this is a herky-jerky time, so I appreciate those of you who are hanging in there. For example, yesterday I didn’t add to the novel because I was excited about finally taking delivery on my new (to me) Nissan Frontier pickup.
Very soon I’ll be coming up with a new interactive challenge and a way to reward your loyalty beyond the stuff I post here in TNDJ.
UPDATE: I will announce that interactive challenge in tomorrow’s edition of TNDJ.
Also, if any of you have a topic about the writing craft that you’ve wondered about or if you want to be sure you’re getting it “right” etc. please email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com.
If you need a list of ideas of things you might want me to talk about, download and look over Craft & Non-Craft Topics to Stir Thought. (Click the link to download the list.
And while I’m on the topic, look over some of the other gifts and the archives on the Journal website.
Commas
To add to the brief shot I took at punctuation in yesterday’s edition of the Journal, here are the five essential rules for using comma. This is slightly altered (improved) but taken directly from Punctuation for Writers, 2nd Edition:
Never place a comma between a subject and its verb or between a verb and its object. (Realize that a subject may have more than one verb and that a verb may have more than one object. See Chapter 7.)
When a subordinate clause introduces an independent clause, separate the two with a comma. (If you aren’t sure about clauses, Rule #2 is an example of itself, as is this explanation. Also, see the discussion about clauses in Chapter 7.)
Do not use a comma to separate the clauses when a subordinate clause follows an independent clause. (In Rule #3, “Do not use a comma” is an independent clause and the remainder is a dependent clause. This rule, again, is an example of itself.)
Use a comma before (not after) the appropriate coordinating conjunction to join two related sentences. (The coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. Remember the acronym FANBOYS.) By the way, you very seldom need a comma after a coordinating conjunction.
Trite as it sounds, when you are in doubt about whether to use a comma, leave it out. Believe it or not, most comma problems arise from putting in commas where they are not necessary, not from their omission.
If you go back up and look those over again, you’ll notice there are really only four rules, not five. Rules 2 and 3 deal with the same sentence structure, but in reverse. Each is also an example of the rule it describes.
Learning and using any punctuation is a two-phase process. But phase one, learning how readers react to each mark of punctuation, is relatively easy. Because it’s all mechanics.
Using punctuation is like using math. It’s an exact science. If you add 2 + 1 + 3 in any order, you will get 6 every time. There is no other possible “reaction.”
If you add an em dash to your writing—no matter where you add it—the reader WILL pause for his or her medium length of time.
If you add a comma, again, no matter where, the reader WILL pause for his or her shortest length of time.
And if you add a period, exclamation mark, question mark, or colon to your writing, the reader WILL pause for his or her longest length of time.
There is no other possible “reaction.”
As I said, punctuation use is all mechanics. If you do This, the reader WILL do That.
Phase two is more advanced, next-level stuff. Before you can enter into phase two, you MUST have phase one down to instinct. Phase two is where nuance comes into play.
For example, because you know and understand the effect the colon has on the reader, you can use it intentionally in unconventional ways (i.e., “break the rules”) to create a particular effect in the reader.
Here’s an excerpt from from an excellent short story by writer Jason Gurley. I read this story a long time ago. It’s called “After a Time”:
“I thought I knew why Robert Mitchell had become Garrett Holman, and my thinking led me back to: sweaty, leafy jungles full of scared white boys in grease-paint and torn camos, back to: sludgy swamps that killed more men than Charlie did, seeping into boots and socks and infecting unsuspecting feet, back to: napalm rain-showers and near-insane sergeants, and I knew why Robert became Garrett: to escape.”
This is a very long sentence, but it’s broken up into segments, dramatically, by Jason’s unique and unconventional use of the colon. Readers wouldn’t even notice on a conscious level. But they will certainly feel the emotional effect of the sentence.
As a writer, NOTICE Jason’s intentional but unconventional use of the colon in that passage. And notice that you were not able to simply read “through” the colons. Your readers won’t be able to either.
Here’s another excerpt:
“[A]nd Robert—Garrett—began to scream like a little girl, and after a time, I: hung my head and walked away, and after a time, I: thought I had forgotten about Robert, but: nobody forgets about those they slept in the jungle with; it just doesn’t happen.”
Thanks to Jason Gurley for permission to quote from his story. Any questions, please feel free to ask.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
Kris’s New Writing Challenge Okay, but wait for tomorrow’s TNDJ post.
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 1070
Writing of Blackwell Ops 27: Sam Gentry
Day 1…… 3004 words. To date…… 3004
Day 2…… 2111 words. To date…… 5115
Day 3…… 1726 words. To date…… 6841
Day 4…… 2092 words. To date…… 8933
Day 5…… 1306 words. To date…… 10239
Day 6…… 2523 words. To date…… 12762
Day 7…… 3018 words. To date…… 15780
Day 8…… 1443 words. To date…… 17223
Day 9…… 3024 words. To date…… 20247
Fiction for August…………………….….… 20247
Fiction for 2024………………………….… 508894
Fiction since October 1………………… 752297
Nonfiction for August……………………… 12760
Nonfiction for 2024……………………… 259770
2024 consumable words………………… 709010
2024 Novels to Date……………………… 11
2024 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2024 Short Stories to Date……………… 4
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)……………… 93
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 241
Short story collections…………………… 29
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing are lies, and they will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
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Harvey, please don't feel bad for not writing TNDJ daily! I love getting any content from you, and I'm sure others do as well. I don't care if it's not daily. :)