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Writing Advice

PUNCTUATION

On-line Characterization, plotting, grammar, punctuation—all of these are all important tools for writers. Since a professional, error-free manuscript is essential in these competitive times, I have mastered the commas, quotation marks and periods necessary for dialogue, dependent clauses and most basic sentences. But having successfully escaped from high school and college English classes, I felt free to use fragments and other grammatical errors if it served character or voice. But last fall a fellow writer asked whether anyone in our critique group would be interested in doing exercises from The Art of Styling Sentences: 20 Patterns for Success (third edition) by Marie L. Waddell, Robert M. Esch, Roberta R Walker. It sounded interesting; I volunteered.

Every week or two, my friend would define a pattern and list several examples illustrating its use. It was an education. I started seeing interesting punctuation everywhere: magazines, newspapers, novels and newsletters. I learned how complex sentences can be helpful in making contrasts and comparisons, similes and metaphors, lists and echoes. Some new constructions were simple and straightforward; others, complex. Imagine my surprise to find that some patterns of speech, which I had always regarded as fragments, could be written as sentences with complex punctuation guiding the reader smoothly through their intricacies.

Like a child with a new toy, I crowded a recent short story for Cicada with interesting constructions that used to be outside my repertoire. I’m wondering whether my friends will notice the changes, whether they’ll find the more complex sentences a distraction, whether my punctuation will confuse rather than guide the reader, whether I should have stayed with a simpler, more direct style. Basic sentences work perfectly in so many situations. After this experiment, I think I’ll use these constructions more sparingly for spice and variety. But if a story comes along demanding a rich, complex style—think of Robin McKinley’s elegant prose--I’d like to be ready.

In general, I don’t try to shoehorn these constructions into a piece; I’m not like a Baroque painter or composer intent on adding a gaudy flourish. This essay, however, was an exception: I packed in as many as possible. Was it noticeable? Was it annoying? Anyone care to play count the semi-colons?