My love affair with the comma

While going through my story for a third time, I have notice my tendency to place a , instead of actually ending a sentence. I think I deleted hundreds of commas from my book already.

I couldn’t tell you why I am in love with the comma. It’s much more dramatic to use a period over a comma, but I can’t seem to stop using it. I think I need to go to comma rehab. Do you have a love affair with a punctuation mark? If so, which one?

I must break this habit immediately if I want to become a better writer, but even as I write this sentence I cannot give up the comma. Oh, whatever shall I do?

Below I have listed some rules for the comma just to clarify to anyone who may question if the comma is truly needed. I have found nine times out of ten that I had to get rid of it.

Rule 1. Use a comma to separate three or more things like bed, shoes, and dog.

Rule 2. Use a comma to connect two independent clauses, but don’t make the sentence too long, so it doesn’t confuse the readers.

Rule 3. Use a comma when you want to include an add-on, which would make the sentence better.

Rule 4. I think this one is used the most during writing. Before a quote, “I would add the comma.” Or “I could add the comma at the end of the quote,” this amazing person said.

Rule 5. Use a comma, to avoid confusion.

Okay I am only posting five rules. There are many rules to the comma. It would probably take me all day to list them all, which I just don’t have time for. Why must you know these rules, so you know when you can break them, of course!