Say what you mean. It’s so simple in books, right? If it’s an important idea, bold it. Or maybe italicize it. If it’s a section header, make it big. Chapter title, make it really big. That’s all there is to it, right?
Not quite. Not anymore.
Read MoreCommas congregate around the edges of rules. Some exist within the realm of necessity, but most commas waltz through lawless zones, following nothing more than a song in the author’s mind, required only, by their presence or absence, not to confuse or trip up readers.
Read MoreAs my first blog post here, I tip my hand about what gets my goat as an editor of fiction: words of wisdom, usually tossed out at writers by other writers, claiming some thing or other is “against the rules” when that thing is actually just a matter of choice—of authorial style.
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