Things to Avoid

I'm forever getting called out on semi-colons. I have cut down, but still use them probably more than I should. They just look so cute, lol. Take care. Vern

LOL.  Curse the naysayers.   I like semicolons too; they help me direct the length of a pause in phrasing, like music.

“Punctuation tells the reader how to hear your writing. That’s what it’s for.”
-Ursula K. Le Guin

PS: But, Vern, if they’re “so cute” is your excuse for using them, what’s the justification for the superfluous hyphen?  ;-)

Semi-colons can make sentences flow better, as Temple points out, they control the pauses, as well.  But if you're a serial killer trying to pretend to be ignorant, never use them to disguise your educational status--the police are on to that.

Good one, Temple!

The article does offer some useful suggestions. My pet peeve is related to the two about too much description of the setting and giving the character's height. That is detailed description  of a character's clothing, hairstyle and makeup. Unless it has a direct bearing on the plot, forget it. Give the reader a chance to visualize the character.

We have all gone through phases of overuse or misuse of punctuation. It's part of the learning process. (I wrestle with the semicolon, em dash and period, too.) For that reason, we should all learn to accept criticism with grace, even though we may wish to give in to feelings of hurt and anger. It does no good to offer protestations of artistic freedom. If It's wrong, it's wrong.

The good thing is once you get it right, your work is better, easier tor read, and more widely accepted. And isn't that what we want?

I generally agree, for novice writers (like me), having the discipline and the good sense to delve deeply into the rules and embrace them as we learn is crucial.  The same thing can be said for any craft.  Too many of us begin ignoring them before we understand them fully.  Then (usually out of laziness, ignorance, or just not giving a crap about the craft) we use some reference to an accomplished writer to justify our (usually) less-informed rule-eschewing.  In reality, great writers are usually very knowledgeable about the “rules” they break (as pedantic editors pull their hair out), unlike us mere mortals.

This is a good and timely article on the topic:
https://www.readitforward.com/authors/j … de-syntax/

Yet there is hope.  For those writers who aim for something beyond mediocrity, to those of us who dedicate our lives to it every day, I offer this ...

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
-Pablo Picasso