The answer historically has been grammar nerds, Strunk & White and those who follow the infamous Chicago vs. AP writing style guide debate.
After this lawsuit a few years ago, we added dairy driver to the list.
That’s because an appellate court ruled in favor of Maine dairy drivers in a labor dispute that hinged on the oft-debated piece of punctuation.
For anyone who’s ever wondered what all the fuss is about over Oxford commas, the circuit judge’s 2017 opinion says it all: “For want of a comma, we have this case.”
What is the Oxford comma or the serial comma?
For those in need of a grammar rules refresh, here’s a quick overview of the Oxford comma.
Sometimes called the serial comma, the Oxford comma is a comma placed between the last two items in a series of three or more.
For example, the Oxford comma falls after “hat” in this sentence:
“She wore a jacket, hat, and mittens.”
While some writing style guides do not use the Oxford comma, supporters say it’s necessary to avoid potential ambiguity. And if there’s one thing writers can agree on, it’s the importance of clarity. In some cases, an extra comma matters.
Does AP style use the Oxford comma?
The short answer: No.
Many writers, including journalists, live by the Associated Press stylebook. AP style does not use Oxford commas.
However, Chicago style does require Oxford commas. That’s the Chicago Manual of Style, which is commonly used by book publishers, academics and trade publications.
So the decision about whether to use an Oxford comma relies on what type of writing you’re doing, and which style guide applies to that project.
If you’re writing for a news site, you probably want to follow AP style and avoid the Oxford comma. If you’re writing a novel you plan to submit to publishers, you probably want to follow Chicago style, which does use the Oxford comma.
An Oxford comma example
Let’s review how the Oxford comma works.
Here’s an example of a sentence with the Oxford comma: “I admire my parents, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa.”
It’s clear in this example that I admire my parents, as well as Gandhi and Mother Teresa.
But remove that serial comma, and the sentence reads, “I admire my parents, Gandhi and Mother Teresa.” One could argue that, written this way, the sentence implies that Gandhi and Mother Teresa are my parents. While the average person would know this isn’t likely to be the case, it illustrates how easily a missing comma can change the meaning of a sentence.
It was precisely this type of ambiguity that led to the Maine case with the dairy farmers — the oxford comma lawsuit.
The Oxford comma debate, and a $10 million comma
In this class action lawsuit, drivers for Oakhurst Dairy sued the company over its failure to grant them overtime pay.
Workers in Maine are entitled to 1.5 times their normal pay for hours worked over 40 per week, according to state law. However, there are exemptions to this rule. Specifically, the law states, companies don’t have to pay overtime for the following activities:
The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:
Agricultural produce;
Meat and fish product; and
Perishable foods
Note the end of the opening line, where there is no comma before the “or.”
Oakhurst Dairy argued its drivers did not qualify for overtime because they engage in distribution, and the spirit of the law intended to list “packing for shipment” and “distribution” as two separate exempt activities.
However, the drivers argued the letter of the law said no such thing. Without that telltale Oxford comma, the law could be read to exclude only packing — whether it was packing for shipment or packing for distribution. Distribution by itself, in this case, would not be exempt.
Without that comma, as the judge maintained, this distinction was not clear-cut:
If that exemption used a serial comma to mark off the last of the activities that it lists, then the exemption would clearly encompass an activity that the drivers perform. And, in that event, the drivers would plainly fall within the exemption and thus outside the overtime law’s protection. But, as it happens, there is no serial comma to be found in the exemption’s list of activities, thus leading to this dispute over whether the drivers fall within the exemption from the overtime law or not.
As a result, the court found in favor of the drivers, costing the dairy an estimated $10 million.
Comma rules: To comma, or not to comma?
As a diehard Oxford comma loyalist, this ruling made my day.
While many of the sites I write for as a freelance blogger follow AP style (including this one), which is sans-serial comma, I still sneak one in when it seems needed to avoid confusion. This case backs up that habit as more than just an old-school tic I haven’t yet let go.
While the debate may still rage on over whether Oxford commas are necessary all the time, this ruling upholds the practice of using them when they’re essential to ward off ambiguity.
So, who care about the Oxford comma? The answer, according to the courts, is officially: anyone who’s interested in clarity.
Take that, AP style!
This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.
Scotland, with its mountains and hills, its banks and braes, has inspired poets – whether Scottish or otherwise – over the centuries. Here are ten of the very greatest poems about the country of Scotland. Of course, ten poems can never hope to tell the whole story, so let us […]
October is National Book Month, which makes it a great time to add to your TBR list! Writer’s Relief found a great list of book recommendations in this article at npr.org featuring nominees for the National Book Awards. You’re sure to find your next page-turner in one of the ten books for each category: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translations, and Young People’s Literature.
In her first novel published in 14 years, author Julia Alvarez explores grief, isolation, and sisterhood.
Afterlife follows Antonia, a writer and retiring English professor, who has just lost her husband Sam. As she reimagines what her life will be without her husband, Antonia also struggles with considering who she wants to be in his absence, as he was often the one pushing her to be more open, more considerate, and more caring of others. She takes it upon herself to provide aid to Mario, an undocumented worker who works for her neighbor on a dairy farm in rural Vermont, so he can bring his pregnant girlfriend to live with him. On top of this, she must navigate her relationship with her three sisters who are both pushing her to be more social during this time of upheaval, but must also contend another blow when their sister Izzy goes missing.
I recently spoke with Julia Alvarez about being an elder storyteller, not knowing what our new lives are going to be after the pandemic, and her creative protest project.
Leticia Urieta: Why was this the book you needed to write right now?
Julia Alvarez: By the time the book comes out there will be a time lag, so who knows what I would write right now. It has struck me how prescient the book is to the present situation. I felt like I was living in elegiac times even before this (the pandemic). We were seeing the extinction of species from climate change, whole coastal areas under water, terrible storms, gun violence in schools, violence against communities of color (which of course did not begin with George Floyd), divisiveness, draconian immigration laws; this felt like the end of so many things.
I come from a Latina family, my father is the youngest of 25 kids, so I grew up with a clan. I grew up with all of these storytellers and cuentos, with all of these other mothers and fathers, abuelitas, godmothers, and cousins. The bad part of this is that when a generation starts dying, you don’t just lose one uncle or your grandparents, you’re losing a whole phalanx of people. And so I felt that I was living in some kind of end time. For me, narrative is a way to navigate a situation using story and make meaning, not so much searching for answers but in understanding the questions that I am asking. This was also the first novel that I feel like I’ve written as an elder storyteller. I was no longer interested in repeating things I knew how to do; I could tell a certain kind of story at different points of my life. Writing is a calling for me, and I had to understand this period in my life as an elder and to integrate it to create a character that was as complex as this stage of life asks of us. I was asking myself as an elder storyteller, “what are the stories left in me to tell before I go?”
LU: I appreciate that because I know that when a book comes out is not necessarily when it began for you.
JA: It’s interesting because this book is about a character who we meet when her life has just come completely apart. Everything that she had put together was secure, she had her way of life and her certainties, and we meet her just as everything comes apart. And that is what it feels like has happened to us in the last few months—a way of life that we knew is over and we don’t yet know what our new lives are going to be like, and neither does Antonia.
LU: Would this book look different if you had written it in quarantine?
JA: We really are living in a mythic time. I know a lot of writer friends who are getting down on themselves for not being productive and I tell them, be gentle with yourself. Let this moment not be lost on us. We need to be present to it. The novels after the Vietnam war came a decade later because people needed time to write about it successfully. My neighbors were farmers and they were acutely aware of the weather, and I do think that writers and artists have an attunement to the zeitgeist and to what is out there that is present but yet unnamed and beyond the borders of our words. They pick it up and it finds its way into the work.
A way of life that we knew is over and we don’t yet know what our new lives are going to be like.
I have friends who have books coming out that they wrote a year ago and are realizing how their work speaks to this moment. But then I also think that the best writing can be picked up and understood at any time. Czesław Miłosz was asked if he was a political poet, and he said that it isn’t that you have to write to address a particular political issue or paradigm, but that writers cannot think below a certain level of awareness of their times, or the work they make is not useful to us. I’ve started to keep a journal again after a long time for this reason. A journal allows for that scatteredness of recording luminous pieces to connect these pieces.
LU: There is a line towards the beginning of the book where Antonia thinks about grief: ”The landscape of grief is not very inviting.” Antonia is living in the isolation of grief but is also not afforded the peace of this isolation because of her familial obligations. Right now, we are all searching for a way to connect and create in a time of extreme disconnection and extreme grief. And even though Antonio is not living in our current situation, like you said, she is experiencing that upheaval.
JA: One thing that I found challenging with this narrative was asking, how do we live in a broken time and not shut down? How do we keep faith in the people we’ve loved and the things that we believe in? How do you give them an afterlife when the life that grew them is over?
I have said about this book that it is a spin on the Book of Job story with a sense of humor, because everything hits Antonia all at once. By that I mean, how can you have a Latina woman with three sisters in full manic mode, and not have humor in it? Instead of a biblical patriarch, we have a Latina sisterhood. Many times I think of my novels as having a soundtrack and for me the song for this novel was Leonard Cohen’s song (“Anthem”) when he says “There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” That is a feeling I was trying to embody. People say that when you read a book that you are changed by it, but I think that when you write a book, you are changed by it too. This book was the hard work I was doing that prepared me, as much as we can be prepared for this moment.
LU: Do you carry the voices and stories of people you have lost that inform who you are now?
How do we live in a broken time and not shut down? How do we keep faith in the people we’ve loved and the things that we believe in?
JA: Definitely. The cultura I come from contains a lot of connections to your antepasados. They are always present and a part of you. You are not just an “I,” you’re a “we.” Sometimes I say something and I think, oh my abuelita would have said that, I must be channeling her. There is always a sense that you are not just a single bead, you are a part of the entire necklace of the generations. When you get to my age at 70, you’ve already died a lot of little deaths. You’ve died from being a ten-year-old, you died when you lost certain certainties, you died when you didn’t realize your dream of being a dancer. When I started losing loved ones as I got older, I struggled not just with losing that person but what they brought into the world. And I thought, the only way to not lose someone completely is to give them an afterlife inside yourself. That is why the title for this book meant so much to me. The thing that I wanted to emphasize is that if you remain open and don’t shut down, there are afterlives after the specific life that you imagined is over.
LU: I would argue that you are a part of this too, as an elder, but I like to call them “creative ancestors,” and I love the idea of honoring the people that inform us and speak to us over time.
JA: Right! We just lost Rudolfo Anaya, who was really a literary grandfather. Sometimes we don’t even know whose shoulders we have stood on but we have ancestors who have helped us.
LU: I appreciated that Antonia’s character, as an English professor who is also bilingual, is often preoccupied with finding the right words to name her experiences. Why did this feel important for her as a character navigating grief, to name things in her particular way?
JA: It’s interesting because I have two sisters who are therapists and one of them worked with refugees from Central America in the ’70s and ’80s who had witnessed horrible things and were traumatized. She started a Latino practice because she found that a lot of therapy was Eurocentric. She informs one of the characters in the novel, Izzy. But one of the things that she told me is that some of her patients were so traumatized that they came in and were wordless. And she said that she knew that they were beginning to heal when they could tell the stories of what happened to them. The testimonio is part of our Latin American tradition, that after something horrible happens, the story must be told. At first, grief takes all of your words. Once you find the right words, you can communicate and feel less alone and can return to community and love.
LU: One of the things that Antonia struggles with most in the book is her feeling of responsibility: to her sisters, to Mario, and to other undocumented people in need while also navigating her own needs in grief. This is a struggle that I think many people have, especially in the U.S. capitalist system where people are encouraged to take what they can for themselves, while others, who have had to struggle the most, see the need to aid others. Antonia is a Domincan woman who is working with undocumented immigrants who are Mexican and Central American.
Was there a solidarity that you were hoping to capture among Latinos or in the immigrant experience?
What are the stories left in me to tell before I go?
JA: There is a sense of responsibility to your community if you have any measure of success. To quote Toni Morrison, “the function of freedom is to free someone else.” If you have had that privilege, and often luck, there is that need to pay it back, but you can’t pay it back, you can only pay it forward. When you come from these communities, there is a kind of bond because you can’t forget that that was you. It’s why I wrote about the Mirabal sisters because I felt like my sisters and I were the lucky ones who got out, and here were the Mirabal sisters who did not get out, who were slaughtered. It was part of my work to tell that story. And for those people that believe that “I’ve got mine” mentality, well, hello virus! No one is going to survive unless we take care of each other. Viruses know no borders, no desperation, no indignation and frustration. It behooves people who believe that they can stay in their gated communities of privilege and power to understand that that ain’t the way it works. If everything is falling apart, can we find a way to put it back together in a way that is just? Rebecca Solnit writes, “out of the word emergency comes the word ‘emerge.’”
LU: Absolutely. That speaks to the interconnectedness, that grief comes for all of us. There are certain things you can’t protect yourself from no matter how much power and privilege you have.
JA: Yes, and we have to push against our own borders and our own walls.
LU: I wondered how your view of sisterhood and connection looks different now as you are in a different place in your life than how you have written about it in your previous novels?
JA: One of the reasons that I wrote How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is because there weren’t those books on the shelves and I wrote those books for myself and my sisters to understand the world from our points of view. One of the reasons that I wanted to write this novel is because I was longing for more work about an elder, and an elder Latina that is not just an abuelita or a wise old woman or other stereotypes or cliches like that. And I wanted to explore sisterhood as an adult where the sisters no longer live in a nuclear family and sometimes have very divergent lives from each other and who may have had horrible conflicts and don’t always talk with one another. I am interested in the sisterhood that comes with blood, but also the sisterhood of women. I was interested in exploring how women come together and nurture each other.
As a matter of fact, one of the projects that I started with some of my friends and other women artists is inspired by my love of Scherezade from One Thousand and One Nights, who survived by telling stories. It’s not often highlighted that she asks if she can bring her sister Dunyazad, who is the one who sets up the whole trick. It’s always inspiring to think about women who are storytellers who tell stories to help other women. We are actually starting a project where one woman artist will perform in front of the White House from July until the November election as a creative protest in front of “the Sultan’s palace.” This has had to change to become virtual performances, but I am excited by all of the wonderful poets, writers, dancers, and artists who have signed up to perform in a creative sisterhood. The arts have the power to nurture our souls and have the power to save us as a people.
Certain professions, hobbies, or activities come with preconceived stereotypes. But the truth is, not all librarians are old maids wearing horn-rimmed glasses, not all auto mechanics are men, and not all grannies sit in rocking chairs and knit. Writers also tend to be typecast, and the writing life is often romanticized or misrepresented. Writer’s Relief has put together a list of the most common misconceptions about the writing life and writers—and shines a light on the surprising reality!
Misconceptions About The Writing Life And Writers—Debunked
All Writers Are Introverts
Here’s the timeworn image of a writer: Sitting home alone, wearing a cardigan, drinking coffee, and typing away for hours. Okay, wearing a cozy cardigan is simply a smart fashion statement. But, while writing is typically a solitary endeavor, it doesn’t mean all writers are introverts. In fact, more than a few famous writers have been extroverts (Hemingway and Twain, to name two literary greats)! And many writers enjoy spending time together in writing groups.
Keep in mind: Being an introvert doesn’t mean you’re antisocial. It simply means you’re focused on internal thoughts and concepts. If you are an introvert, you’re more likely to be creative and observant. So be sure to get outside and observe some passersby and listen in on a few conversations so you can perfect the dialogue in your stories.
Writing Is Easy!
Want to be the character who gets horribly killed in a novel? Just walk up to a writer and say, “Writing is not that hard!” Any writer staring at a blank page or computer screen will tell you—writing is NOT easy! There’s writer’s block to overcome, then editing and proofreading, then a critique from the writing group where that one guy Al always has a comment to make. Then rewriting (thanks, Al), and on to the next step: finding the right place to submit your work. All those submissions need to be tracked. And now start the whole process over again!
Successful Writers Are English Majors With MFAs
Writers are people who love language, so many are English majors. But there are lots of successful authors who never attended college: William Faulkner, H.G. Wells, Maya Angelou, and Augusten Burroughs, to name a few. Others graduated from college but didn’t major in English. John Grisham studied accounting before graduating law school, and Michael Crichton received his MD from Harvard! Don’t let the fact that you didn’t study writing or literature keep you from being a writer.
Published Writers Can Quit Their Day Jobs
Dreaming of becoming an immediate success may be every author’s fantasy, but it’s just that—a fantasy. For most published authors, “overnight” fame actually took years to accomplish. It took Stephen King twenty years to achieve success (which he did with his novel Carrie), but only after years of submitting and being rejected. Amanda Hocking is a self-publishing overnight success story—and it only took her nine years to accomplish this (that’s one very long night, Amanda).
The fact is, most writers who are published make very little—if any—money from their writing. Literary journals have very limited budgets so offer only a token payment, if anything. And if you choose to self-publish, you probably won’t make enough in royalties to cover all your living expenses. The majority of authors simply enjoy sharing their writing with others, even without monetary benefits.
All A Writer Does Is Write
It would be wonderful if a writer could simply retreat to a secluded cabin or spend hours in the study typing. But in reality, writers are holding those day jobs, taking care of the children, getting the dog groomed, mowing lawns, and much more—and squeezing in time to write as well.
Once you’ve published a book, whether it is traditionally or self-published, you may think the hard work is over. You’d be wrong! In today’s publishing industry, even traditionally published writers are expected to market their books just like self-published authors. So whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, having an online author platform and being active with social media is a must. Then there are also author readings and blog tours to set up and participate in. Simply put, there is no “sitting back and relaxing” in the writing biz.
If you need a little help with maintaining your writing life, check out the services at Writer’s Relief. We understand what the writing life is really like and can help make yours a success story!
Question: What other misconceptions or stereotypes about the writing life have you come across?
Whether you’re learning how to become a freelance writer or an experienced freelancer slogging through a slow period, figuring out how to get clients can be nerve-wracking.
Here’s the hard truth: You have to hustle to get new writing clients. Even the most experienced freelancers have to expand their circles on a regular basis to ensure they have a stable stream of paying work.
Websites that post freelance writing jobs are plentiful, but require a critical eye. It’s easy to get sucked into a trap of getting paid $1 for every 300-word post you research and write. And while that might be a good place to start, especially if you’re looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners, it pays to take a more strategic approach once you’re ready to level up your income.
How do freelance writers get new clients?
If you’re going to get high-paying writing gigs and repeat clients, you’ll have to think beyond the job board.
While these strategies can be more effective in the long run than job sites, they might take longer to show results. A job board offers the possibility of an immediate project, while the ideas outlined below sometimes return client opportunities months or even years after you put in the effort.
When you’re ready to go the extra mile, here are some fresh ideas for how to find clients.
1. Personalize your cold calls and emails
Don’t send your pitch to a generic inbox. Do some research to figure out which editor will review your pitch, and then spend more time sleuthing to find their contact information.
“Make sure the right people — the decision-makers — see your message,” advises Francesca Nicasio. “If you’re dealing with a small business or startup, the company’s founder is usually a good bet.”
Yes, this takes more effort than dashing off an email to a company’s inbox for general inquiries. But it’s far more likely to land you a byline.
2. Partner with other freelancers
Do you know any project managers, web developers or graphic designers? Their projects often require top-notch writing skills, which opens opportunities to work together.
If your web development buddy knows you’re willing to team up for a website redesign project, she can recommend you to the client. By sticking together, you might find ways to help one another.
“I have a list of writers I trust to get my clients to hire,” writes Paul Jarvis, who specializes in web design. “I know writing makes or breaks websites and I know the difference a professional makes. So I always suggest experienced writers to all my design clients and they often hire them.”
Supporting other writers can generate referrals, too, as writers who don’t have the bandwidth for a project often want to pass along the name of a qualified writer who can do it instead.
3. Volunteer your services
Volunteering may not pay the bills, but it’s a useful way to network without having to deal with small talk at happy hour.
“Volunteering is a great way to get to know influential people who can help with your freelancing career — especially if you volunteer to do the writing and promotional duties for those projects,” writes Narendra Motwani. The people you meet while volunteering could turn into connections at companies you’d love to write for.
4. Book a speaking engagement
This tip only works if you’re comfortable in front of a crowd. But if you’d rather give a speech than approach strangers at happy hour, it could be a fit. And remember, even speaking in front of 20 people counts; you don’t have to keynote to an audience of thousands of people to be effective.
In an ideal world, you’d speak to audiences that could become clients. For example, if you write in the healthcare space, look for opportunities to speak to people who work at healthcare companies.
But even if you can’t find a perfect match for your niche, getting in front of any audience could pay dividends. Share knowledge that shows you have something to offer, and the people who see you speak might pass your name to someone who needs your expertise.
5. Get back in touch with former clients
If you’re not in regular contact with previous clients or organizations you’ve volunteered for, you could be leaving business on the table.
This outreach can be as simple as a short email or LinkedIn message to check in with someone you once worked with. Look for a way to mention that you have bandwidth for additional work. “You never know when a client might send work your way simply because you popped up on their radar at the right time,” writes Samar Owais.
6. Search for opportunities on Twitter
You’ll never get any work done if you spend all day on Twitter. But by scheduling time each week to use Twitter’s advanced search, you might notice when companies are looking for help.
David Masters has a quick how-to that will get you started and help you refine your search terms. Or you could lean on a service that aggregates Twitter opportunities, like Sonia Weiser’s Opportunities of the Week newsletter.
7. Use your skills in a different way
If you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall trying to land a certain type of paying work, push yourself to be more creative about how you use your skills.
For example, can’t find a freelance writing job you feel good about? Consider going after transcription jobs instead. You might find a new niche you enjoy!
8. Write a niche blog
If you’re looking for work as a blogger, you should certainly write a blog of your own. Your blog should focus on a niche, says Carol Tice of Making a Living Writing, although the topic doesn’t have to line up exactly with your target market.
“Clients love to see that you understand how to develop many strong story ideas on a single theme, stick to a topic, write great Internet headlines, attract subscribers, and how to get engagement — comments and social shares,” Tice says. “[Potential clients] will want you to do all that for them.”
9. Sell a product
You only have 24 hours in a day, but selling a product you created help showcase your expertise, which can lead to clients over time. Plus, it never hurts to make money while you sleep.
Consider writing an ebook or white paper as a starting point. With so many online platforms and tools available to digital sellers, it’s never been easier to collect money for your work. If you’re not sure where to start, check out GumRoad, ConvertKit or Substack.
10. Pitch guest blog posts
Guest blogging might not bring in revenue — only some sites pay for guest posts — but it will get your name in front of a lot of potential clients. In fact, some businesses find freelance writers by looking at who writes for their competitors’ websites.
Don’t spread yourself too thin by guest-blogging for everyone, though. After all, you’ll need plenty of time for paid work as it comes in.
11. Sharpen your skills
Still getting nowhere? You might consider investing in yourself by taking some online writing courses.
Of course, you never want to put yourself in a position where you’re spending more than you can earn, but sometimes it’s worth paying for training to set yourself up for success. Many online courses offer feedback from the instructor and interaction with other students, and that could lead to insight about your own skills or approach.
What are your tried-and-true methods for reeling in new clients?
This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.
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