There has been a long debate about what some call the Oxford comma. Personally, I use it. I use it for clarity, out of habit, because I feel it "looks" right, and likely because I lean OCD. Do you use it?
You’ll catch clunky sentences, missing and repetitive words, and misspellings.
Make a list of your most common offenders. Then search for those words and see if you can take them out without altering your intended meaning.
Take a look at each sentence and see how many words you can cut out.
Check to make sure you put commas before direct address in dialog.
The most mutilated verbs are lay, sink, drag, swim, and shine.
Flowery verbs such as quizzed, extrapolated, exclaimed, and interjected, stick out. Instead, use said and asked, with an occasional replied or answered.
When sentences begin with “it was” and “there were,” readers are left wondering exactly what “it” is. These words are vague.
“It was hot today” can easily be replaced with “the sun baked his shoulders,” which paints a clearer picture. Think: strong nouns and verbs.