Most of us have seen the memes about punctuation, but does that actually matter? Actually, it does! Poor grammar detracts from a reader's experience. The thought may come across, but a reader may need to linger on the sentence or paragraph to figure it out.
Example 1:
He held my purse elevated, keeping it from me, even though it was mines I couldn't grab it from his hand above my head. Worrying and nervous about it being spilled I tried to jump for the purse but he laughed at my pitiful attempt at recovery.
Example 2:
He held my purse above my head, keeping it from me. The last thing I needed was for the contents to spill. I tried to jump for it, but he laughed when my hands still fell short.
They're both the same scene, but one is easier for the reader to understand. The first example lacks proper punctuation and proper grammar. The second has correct punctuation and uses proper grammar. Sometimes, a scene may need to be rewritten to accommodate it, but using proper grammar conveys a scene with better accuracy.
Something that can help this is reading aloud. When you proofread your story, try reading it aloud. When you come across something that feels unnatural to say, change it to what feels right to you. This will clear up most or all of your grammar mistakes!
Another tip: When people are speaking, each paragraph should only contain the words of one person. Not doing this can cause some confusion about who's speaking. Speech should also end with a comma instead of a period if you put something about it after the sentence, such as she/he said or how it was said. The only exception is an exclamation point or question mark. If you don't make a comment, end it with a period.
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Writing Prompts & Tips
Short StoryHaving trouble getting started? Or maybe you're wanting to get started and don't know how? We want to help! We've collected writing prompts to help you get started, and writing tips to help you finish (or improve) your story.
