I’ve always prided myself on my good grammar, even calling myself a Grammar Nerd as a kid. I excelled in English classes throughout my school years, and I’ve always enjoyed editing as much as creative writing.

Proof of being a nerd. Sitting in front of the teacher. First Grade.

So, when my first manuscript came back from my editor with many (I mean, many) suggestions for commas and other punctuation, I was surprised. How could this have happened?

Okay, so I hadn’t been in school for decades by the time I published my first book, but I didn’t think I had lost that much skill. A few of the suggestions were misplaced—the content would have changed—and a few were in left field, but many were legitimate.

I believe my proficiency was affected, like the rest of the world, by too much exposure to poor grammar. Online writing is littered with errors, and even those articles that are well-written most likely follow the journalistic Associated Press (AP) style of writing, which isn’t the writing style of most books.

We have also become lazy due to the shortening of spelling and the omission of punctuation in texts, social media, and work chats, and the lack of writing real letters. And look what Twitter did to us by curbing an idea to one hundred and forty characters! Characters, not even word count!

Grammar in the United States is sadly atrocious. Even fifteen years ago, during my Master of Fine Arts, the program decided to add a grammar class because younger graduate students were entering with too little knowledge of punctuation.

I can almost see your eyebrows knitting together as you wonder if you, too, are now grammar-soft. Before you worry about where to start, I have two suggestions.

For novel and short-story writing, you should follow The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). It’s an industry standard, and you can’t go wrong.

The second idea is to actually embrace the value of AI, not to write your work but to check it. Grammarly is software that checks grammar much better than any built-in option. The simple punctuation option is free, too. Give it a try. The results are eye-opening.

Let me leave you with just one punctuation discussion to consider, and to illustrate why you want to follow the Chicago Style. To comma or not to comma, that is the question.

To Comma or Not to Comma

As a fan of commas—see, Nerd Girl—I have always added the third comma in a series, but lately, I’ve been hearing that it is an option. No, it’s not an option. If you’re a journalist following the AP style, you leave it out to save space.

If you are a novelist, you add it in per the Chicago style.

You want the second comma in a series of words, such as I went to the store and bought milk, cheese, and bread. Too often, that comma after cheese, famously called the Oxford comma, is missing. Sadly, the Oxford comma cost a Maine business, Oakhurst Dairy, millions due to a missing comma and overtime law. Definitely a win for the Oxford comma defenders to have a judge rule on punctuation!

A missing comma may not cost you five million dollars, but it could cost you your reputation, or an agent’s interest, or your self-respect (that would be me). It’s time to rescue this sinking grammar ship and make our grandparents proud. Then we can work on our penmanship.

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Allison Keeton writes the Midcoast Maine Mystery series. Arctic Green, Book Two, is now available. She can be reached at http://www.akeetonbooks.com