Well, to elaborate further on my first review, I'm not a grammar professor but I was beaten up during a six week comma course online taught by whatever is the next level beyond a comma queen.
When I originally posted my first few chapters, my work was particularly savaged by reviewers over a lack of understanding of comma placement. That's when I took the online course called "Comma Sense" where not only was the instructor a comma ace, but her brother, who helped on the grading, is an English teacher for the last thirty years.
It is one of the universal comma rules that if a coordinator (coordinating conjunction: FANBOYS) is 6 words or less for the first independent clause--you omit the comma. You can see this implemented within most of your favorite novels that have been proofed in this manner.
The pause is a myth. My high school English teacher spent one class session on teaching us commas are where you hear the pause and moved on, leaving me with a total lack of understanding. I suspect, he himself, didn't know enough to teach about them. Why is it a myth that commas are where you hear the pause? Everyone hears pauses differently. We do not all hear the pause (if the comma is omitted) exactly in the same place for each sentence structure.
There is, however, one venerable voice in the creative writing world who has offered a valid argument to this. In his book on creative writing, Stephen King explains there are times he wants the reader to pause at a certain point, consequently, damn the comma rules he will place the comma for effect. King's words carry additional weight, beyond his incredible success as an author, when we recall he was an English professor prior to becoming published. So if you, as the author, want the reader to pause and place the comma at a particular spot--then so be it.
You, or anyone else I review, are free to use any examples I reword exactly as mentioned, if you feel it will help.
