I would like to state for the record; run on sentences and I are very good friends.
We have separation issues. But I have to put a full stop to it.
Okay, puns aside; I really do struggle with this. I find it easy to make a sentence longer than it needs to be. I also resort to covering two statements in one sentence, as I often write as I would say something. Both of these are bad. Not simply the fact that if something is a statement it 'IS' a sentence within itself. Putting two together and expecting them to play nicely on the page can be likened to MP's and the house of commons.
Moreover, some statements need more than one sentence to become viable, understandable and impacting. If a single statement, serving one cause must be divided on occasion to make sense; two statements should not be crammed together into one sentence.
I am not Charles Dickens, therefore my characters should not all be talking like Flora whilst she tries to hurl flirtatious banter at Mr Clennam. (Little Dorrit) On the other hand, if it is a trait of a character that they talk very fast, flitting from one statement to another; by all means let it run. But the reader will hyperventilate, get brain ache or end up with a nervous disposition by the end of a paragraph.
In short. Always re-read your work. Because run on sentences occur most when we're not thinking about how we're writing something. They strike whilst we're focussed on simply getting something written.
Mini-rant/Self reminder over. ~ Caroline
Post Script: To amalgamate more than one statement into a spoken sentence is not advised either.
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With Love: A Collection of Works
PoetryA Collection of different writing medias I've experimented with, from prose, poetry and song lyrics to (very) Short Stories & 'Articles.' Some of these will be new pieces for this book, others I may have written a few years ago and just never had a...
