The Grammar Rant

The short-and-easy, hate-grammar-but-want-to-write-person's checklist.

1. Don't write alot. You don't write alittle, abit, acantaloupe, aporkchop. Don't write alot.
2. Avoid repetitions. Repetitions are annoying. Repetitions draw away from the story and to the repetition. Constantly check for repetitions. Only use repetitions for specific purposes.
3. Commas are a wonderful invention that keep sentences from running together like this one is and can prevent odd sentences like this one: Let's eat Grandma vs. Let's eat, Grandma. Commas can save lives. Use them.
4. Proper punctuation! Some things, like exclamation points and periods, can be interchangeable. Other things, like question marks, aren't. Don't end a question with a period! It makes the question sound flat and confuses the reader. For instance: Don't we need to get lettuce. vs. Don't we need to get lettuce?
5. (How often do you see parenthesis in books? Not that often, right? [You never, ever see double parenthesis {Avoid parenthesis like the plague}])
6. The dreaded -ly word! Really, suddenly, abruptly, angrily, sorrowfully, happily, faithfully, amazingly, beautifully, prettily, lovingly, gently, harshly, personally. These sneaky little pirates like to steal the "umph" from your descriptions. Unless these descriptive words are necessary, don't use them. When you edit, search for -ly words and pick and choose the important ones. Let your descriptions stand strong on their own!

Tune in again for more grammar/spelling points!

~Maria