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Words to the Wise
Get a Life! Does
It Really Matter?
A brief rant on
the importance of punctuation
I
have two groups of friends: those who work and play with the
printed word as I do, and those who use the printed word much as
they use their car—to get from here to there. Both groups know
my reputation: I care about minutia in writing, those details
that make writing flow, that smooth the reader's way, that spare
the reader the irritation of interruption and confusion.
Yes, I care about punctuation.
Many writers I have worked with, after I have covered their copy
with corrections, tell me with a dismissive wave of the hand, "I
know, I just can't figure out commas." Ah, but they can, and
they should. After all, they want to see their name in lights,
don't they?
There are many resources out there, both in print and online, cheap and easy to use. Have a look at Recommended Books.
Resources or not, it comes down to this: as a writer hoping to
publish the breakout novel or the self-help guide that will
change us all or the poem that will rise to everyone's lips, you
have to care. You have to care enough to think about what you
are doing and pay attention to the few conventions that pedants
like me have formulated to make the world of words a better
place.
It's all about practice—and here you will learn just how weird I
am. Every time I write, whether I'm editing a historical novel
or a press release, whipping off a reply to an email, or
composing a message to hubby on a Valentine, I pay attention to
the punctuation. And whenever I'm not sure about something, I
check. This helps me commit the rules and conventions to memory. When I'm facing
5,000 words to be edited and sent off to a client before
suppertime, I can't be wondering whether a comma is correct. I
need to know.
Do your friends and future readers
a favour: pay attention to punctuation. They'll love you for it.
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