Commas are usually problematic for many writers.  When do you put one in? When do you leave them out?  When I’m reading, nothing ruins a story more than bad grammar and improper comma usage is at the top of my list.

Commas are optional but mostly unnecessary after the second to last item in a series of items such as:  I went to the store and bought lettuce, tomatoes, onions and peppers.  The conjunction gives enough of a pause that the comma is unnecessary.

Speaking of pauses, I’ve heard many an editor say that a comma should be used where there’s a natural pause regardless of grammar.  I find that a thoroughly uneducated statement.  If pauses don’t fall with grammar, then the sentence is written incorrectly.

Commas used to join two independent clauses seem to be even more problematic even for grammar experts.  I’ve perused several grammar websites and there is little to no consensus on both the presence and location of commas.  Some sites place them before the conjunction, some after, and some say no comma.

I generally do not use commas when connecting two independent clauses.  I feel the conjunction gives enough of pause that an additional one is unnecessary.  A comma means a significant pause, which, in most cases, disrupts the flow of reading.

Trip Pic: Ocean Approaching South Georgia Island

Part 2

International names.  Those are always a challenge.  I like writing foreign characters into my stories because in today’s global society, people of every nation and culture are found anywhere in the world.

Choosing a name for a recurring non-English character is a bit trickier as far as I’m concerned.  I feel the name has to be authentic, definitely no Anglicized nicknames, but it must also be easy for English-speaking readers to pronounce.  I have a hard time relating to characters whose name I cannot pronounce and I don’t think I’m alone.

What nationalities have I used?  I frequently write characters that are from Central or South America since JoyBoy Island is located in the Caribbean.  I’ve also incorporated Chinese, Japanese, European, and Indian characters in my story as well as a few from more unusual locations like Papua New Guinea!

This piece was written as a companion piece to Rylan Hunter’s One And One Equals One.  I wrote Wicked Game and the soon-to-be released Playing For Keeps with Rylan and he is my best friend.

Alone
Dedicated to Rylan Hunter

I walk alone.
I enjoy the solitude.

The deafening silence within and without echoes through my soul.  It energizes my mind and reawakens my senses.  I am like a coastal redwood soaring over the forest or the highest mountain in a snow-capped range.

Loneliness brings no fear because I have myself.  I am myself.  And I am strong.

I walk alone.
So that I may walk with you.

One of the grammatical errors that I despise is the dangling participle.  (It sounds too much like dangling wanker, which is not a pretty thought.)

A participle needs to be immediately next to the word that it is describing, and it’s dangling if it’s in the wrong spot.  (A participle is an adjective derived from a verb.)  It’s like a cute twink, glued to his daddy.  Some examples of participles are running water, dancing cannibals, and masturbating chickens.  Notice the correct placement of the participle right next to the noun it’s describing.

Here is one blatant mistake: “Writing and editing incredibly detailed and erotic sex scenes from dawn all the way to dusk, the computer screen makes my eyes hurt.”  WTF?!  This sentence is so wrong.  First of all the computer does not make my eyes hurt.  (Vivid image of the computer poking my eyes out.)  Staring at the screen makes my eyes hurt.  But that’s not even the dangling wanker… er… ummm… I mean participle.

“Writing and editing incredibly detailed and erotic sex scenes from dawn all the way to dusk…” is the participle phrase.  It is cozied up to the noun “computer screen,” therefore the screen is the one that is writing and editing! I obviously don’t pay my computer screen enough.

The correct version should read something like: “Staring at the computer screen when I’m writing and editing incredibly detailed and erotic sex scenes from dawn all the way to dusk makes my eyes hurt.”

Why are dangling participles so prevalent?  I’ve decided that the reason is two-fold.  First, many people simply don’t know the rule and don’t even realize they are making a grammatical error.  Second, dangling participles sound better than a grammatically correct sentence.  They have zing, they have flair, and they give a paragraph some serious spiff.  All that takes a lot more work to do in the grammatically correct fashion.