4 ms·
> Writers overuse commas. What is it about writing that drives people to write lists of imperatives for writing? As writers we all start somewhere that is som
by timeagain 3y ago
> Writers overuse commas.
What is it about writing that drives people to write lists of imperatives for writing?
As writers we all start somewhere that is some distance away from our taste. As we progress we learn what little tricks we need to tell ourselves to achieve writing that makes us happy when we read it. For me, I might write, “start with the point, then expand; you aren’t writing a mystery novel!”
- surprisetalk 3y agoI see the same pithy stuff in woodworking and software too! I'm a huge fan of a book called The Inner Game of Tennis. Something I picked up from that book: I think a lot of advice works not because it's correct, but because it causes craftsmen to observe a thing they weren't observing before. "Am I overusing commas?" is a useful but unanswerable question :) EDIT: The book also makes a strong case against judgmental language, so "overusing" commas is probably not the best word. So instead, maybe, "What do commas make sentences feel like?"
- stavros 3y agoThat's an interesting notion, thanks! I'm now wondering what else I can be asking myself about my preconceptions.
- reidjs 3y agoI try not to do it, but I’m absolutely guilty of this. When you start writing, it’s sort of the lowest common denominator topic to write about. You’ll be sitting there thinking what should I write about? So you start writing about writing itself.