Commas With Conjunctions

by J. Lea López

Are you one of those writers who agonizes over commas? Some writers sprinkle them through their paragraphs with abundance and weed them back out during editing; others use them sparingly and add more to taste later on. Regardless of which type of writer you may be, it never hurts to try to learn the rules of comma placement and hopefully get it right on the first try. Now, I know that in the world of fiction writing, there's little more we hate than "rules," even when it comes to grammar. But I firmly believe that to break any rules, you must first know them well enough to understand how and why you're breaking them in the first place. Today I'll talk about a comma mistake—it's sort of two commas wrapped into one—that I frequently see during editing and also make in my own writing.

In a nutshell, here's what you need to know: you only need a comma with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, so, etc.) if you're joining two independent clauses. An independent clause is one that can stand on its own as a sentence.

If you're allergic to grammar speak, I know what you're thinking right now. Commas, conjunctions, and clauses, oh my! But I promise, it's not that difficult, and once we go through this one tiny example, you'll wonder how you ever got it wrong to begin with. I'll be the guinea pig and use a sentence from my own WIP to demonstrate.

He backed me up against the car and rested his forehead against mine. 

You might be tempted to insert a comma after car, but you don't need one there. He backed me up against the car is an independent clause, but rested his forehead against mine is not. Therefore, no comma.

He backed me up against the car, and he rested his forehead against mine.

Now you need a comma, because both clauses are independent. When in doubt, split the sentence before/after the conjunction and see if each clause is a complete sentence. If so, you need the comma along with the conjunction. He backed me up against the car. He rested his forehead against mine. See, wasn't that easy?

You need that comma whenever you use a conjunction to join independent clauses, but I see a lot of people leave it out. If the two clauses are relatively short, you can leave it out, but otherwise, comma away! Here are a few more examples to reference:

I turned around to push the elevator call button, but Luke grabbed my waist and whipped me around again, his arms closing around me like a vise. Correct. But joins two independent clauses, so you need a comma.

The priest makes eye contact again, and holds it this time. Incorrect. "Holds it this time" is not an independent clause, so there shouldn't be a comma before the conjunction.

It’s one of the stranger things I’ve ever found myself doing, but strange seems to be my only constant right now. Correct.

He released me and stepped back. Correct.

He released me and I stepped back. Comma optional. The clauses are short, so you can leave it out. But if there are issues of clarity or consistency, you should keep the comma before the conjunction.

Do you struggle with comma placement? Let me know if I've confused you more than I've clarified this issue in the comments!

J. Lea López is an author who strives to make you laugh at, fall in love with, cry over, and lust after the characters she writes. She also provides freelance copyediting focused on romance and erotica as The Mistress With the Red Pen. She welcomes online stalkers as long as they're witty and/or adulatory. Kidding. Maybe. Check for yourself: Twitter, Facebook, Blog.

Five Rules For Writing Sci-Fi

by R.S. Mellette

First of all, let me state where I come down on the Sci-Fi/Science Fiction debate.

For those who aren't into the genre, several years ago a movement headed by Science Fiction author Harlan Ellison, took issue with the classification of Sci-Fi. They felt it excluded them from consideration as literature. Fine. Point taken. I'm a firm believer that the X-Men series is one of the greatest examples of pure American Literature you can find. A Connecticut Yankee In King Author's Court is clearly Science Fiction, and no one would ever question the literary worth of Mark Twain.

With respect to the genre of Science Fiction, I proudly state that I write Sci-Fi. Literature be damned. I'd rather write a book that kids sneak into bed at night than one that teachers assign. Given a choice between literary success and sales, I'll take sales every time. Why?—besides, you know, me being able to pay my bills? There is no better review than a working person plunking down their hard-earned cash—or a kid spending his/her allowance—to read my stories.

And Time decides what is and is not literature, not professors, critics, or authors.

So, given that I'm a hack wannabe, let's look at a few rules that apply to Sci-Fi, or Science Fiction even, that might not be an issue with other genres.

•      Rule Number One: Don't break your own rules. The world that you create will have its own logic and psycho-logic. These may not be as rigid as a map at the beginning of fantasy epics, but once you establish a parameter for your world, you'd best stick to it—or present a plausible, logical, way around the rules. That leads us to:
•      Rule Number Two: Never invent a gadget or technology that can solve every problem. Sure, Dr. Who's sonic screwdriver can do nearly anything he wants done when he wants it. That "nearly" makes all the difference in the world. Your job as a writer is to create problems for your heroes that are insurmountable. We, the readers, then have the pleasure of seeing how they surmount them. If the heroes have an everything-proof impossible-problem-solver-gadget, then we don't have any fun. Unless the author is Douglas Adams.
•      Rule Number Three: Escalation of powers. This is a big issue in series writing—be it TV, novels, movies, comics, etc. If, in one episode, your hero fights off a hundred villains singlehandedly, what are you going to do when you need him/her to be captured by a single villain in the next? The answer can be found in:
•      Rule Number Four: Always have Kryptonite. Your superhero can't be TOO super or s/he becomes an everything-proof impossible-problem-solver. There must be a weakness, and the best of these (I think) are internal, emotional, soft spots.
•      Rule Number Five: Make it personal. Don't fall into the 1990's Hollywood trap of thinking that special effects and cool stuff is all you need to entertain an audience. Healthy heart scenes beat out eye-candy every time. James Bond's toys are fun, but never as much fun as the way the character uses them. He is cool. His stuff is just stuff.

That should be enough to get the conversation started. What have I left out? What rules apply no matter the genre?