The Dangers of Dangling Modifiers

Another Monday, another blog post... Hey, I think I'm actually getting pretty good about writing in this thing. LOL

So the idear behind this little post here came from an email I received this morning from an agent who had given me a critique on the first 500 words of my current WIP. I don't even have to say how invaluable a crit like this is. I literally *squee'd* when I read the little "1" bubble on my iPhone email icon. As I opened up the pretty in my inbox, I realized that it wasn't exactly pretty. LOL

Okay, honestly, I was expecting much MUCH worse, so what I did get I was thoroughly happy with. The thing that most stood out among all the other suggestions was her one about dangling modifiers. I read that word and went "Eh? WTF is a dangling modifier?!". My brain went into overdrive and literally could not wait to google the thing. Diving head-on into the google-worthy links I found, there was one that said it simply and with examples - The Purdue OWL.

Dangling Modifier

"[A] word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept."

Effect



Now, the problem was that I wasn't even aware I was using the danglies (as my frawesomesauce friend Corinne O'Flynn has kindly dubbed it). But after reading the various examples and applying them to certain sentences I found in the first 5 pages of my WIP, my Ah-Ha! moment did the whole flashing lightbulb thing (only in my head of course LOL).

Moments like these are not only humbling, but also remind us how any and all crits are invaluable to the writing process. I write because I don't know how to be without writing. It is a constant learning process for me while I navigate the do's and dont's, all the while trying to take everything with a grain of salt and do what ultimately makes my work awesome to ME. But every once in a while, you get bits of wow knowledge that can help you take your craft into a whole other level.

Have any of you ever had any noteworthy Ah-ha! moments during your writing journeys? If so, how did they come about and what were the ending results?