When I'm writing first draft, I use commas and full stops like machine gun bullets, then go back and take a hard look make changes myself before I get some editing done, (much further along, you can tell I don't edit from my punctuation in these posts)
One of the places I am forever placing a comma is before "and" my understanding is you can do it as long as the next part will stand alone without the word and.
The part I don't get is, I have been reading dickens recently and because of the "," issue I decided to take more notice, his work has the comma before "and" and "but" everywhere, the same with another book I am reading just now "The Screwtape Letters. Full of the same thing so,,,,, my question is if these great and old works have the comma and "and" have things changed or am I losing it.
Paul G
Adrian, I use commas and other punctuation in dialogue, for the very reason of making it flow more naturally. Though it is of course permissable to do whatever you choose. Look at The Road; or the opening sentence/paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities. In school either of these would get a red line through them and a large SEE ME! at the bottom.
Good luck young man.
PabloJ.
Just when you think you are getting somewhere another little wrinkle drops into the smooth pages of the near finished edit. I always used one space after a full stop then, when reading one of the blogs that comes on "bang to writes" it said always remember agents like two spaces after a full stop... Yep you have guessed it, I have been through the whole one hundred thousand words and double spaced all my full stops. What now, do I leave it or go back and change it all again. It is a good job I have a sense of humour. I think I need a weekend away, in fact yep, I'm going to pack right now and clear off for a couple of days then take another look. hey ho fellow sufferers, one day we will get it right for the agent.
Regards Paul.
I can't believe it I have just decided as I was writing to clear off for a couple of days to the coast, it was sunny when I wrote it, it is hammering down, in that few moments, do you think someone is trying to tell me something believe it or not I am laughing, can't believe it.
I regularly use the Oxford Comma as it is known. That is, to put a comma before and or but. It's acceptable generally but there are some people who don't like it. The advice to read your work out loud is probably the best thing to do.
Good luck, and keep on doing.
PabloJ.