How do I become a better writer? I am not referring to writing better stories, or novels, or questions that can be answered simply with " Write more". Instead, I am a writer of non-fiction in academia, and I want to be able to better use things like commas, or dashes. For instance, I know that I use commas far too much; I learned English as a second language, and I was taught to put commas when I naturally took a breath. I know now that approaching commas that way is mostly wrong.
Does /lit/ have any advice?
inb4 writemore.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=comma+usage
>>7737690
Read all your work out loud. If the commas break the flow of the writing, rewrite.
Re-draft your work frequently, or look at it with "fresh" eyes.
Have other people read your work and ask them which parts worked and why. Which parts didn't and why.
>>7737725
How do you know when the comma is breaking the flow of the writing? Should I breathe when I place a comma?
>>7737690
>I was taught to put commas when I naturally took a breath
That explains McCormac's prose: brain doesn't get enough oxygen.