The Grammar Gods Have Abandoned Me

I write for a living, and yet—every time I open a blank page, the Grammar Gods laugh.

I still second-guess every comma. I still can’t decide if a semicolon makes me look smart or pretentious. And don’t get me started on em dashes—my most loyal companions and greatest downfall.

Grammarly corrects me like it’s personally offended. It flags every “however” I use to sound professional, every “just” I add to sound polite, every sentence fragment that’s apparently “not a complete thought.” Some of us just write in fragments. It’s called style.

The funny thing is, I know the rules. I know what AP Style says. I know what’s “technically correct.” But sometimes, technically correct just feels… wrong. Language is alive. It bends, breaks, pauses for dramatic effect, and occasionally spirals into an em-dash-shaped abyss.

So yes, I’ll keep breaking rules. I’ll start sentences with “and.” I’ll end them with prepositions. I’ll probably keep writing like I talk—which is to say, with too many pauses, and far too much coffee.

Because at the end of the day, writing isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being understood.

And if the Grammar Gods have abandoned me, I like to think they did it knowing I’d keep writing anyway.