The Ten Mistakes (A Link)

A kindred spirit in the editorial pursuit of excellence....

I recently read an online article by Pat Holt (Holt Uncensored) that points out many of the issues I address with my clients.  It's an excellent piece, and I'm always pleased to justify my editorial efforts through the words of others in the biz.

When you get to Number 10 (COMMAS) on his list, if you're a client of mine or have read some of my past posts about comma usage, you may find that he and I are not in absolute agreement.

I believe occasions exist in which you may want to cut a comma or two, in a particularly intense action sequence, so that the pace of your prose will support the breakneck pace of the action.  However, these occasions are rare, and you must be rigidly selective about employing this mechanism.  Additionally, the sentence must still flow off the reader's tongue with ease -- no awkward bumps (as in his example), just a rapid-fire bang-bang-bang pace.

As I often say, when it comes to the rules of writing, there is no such thing as a 100%-er.

Here's the link to his piece:
The Ten Mistakes
Ten Mistakes Writers Don't See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do)