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Imogen Howson

@imogenhowson.bsky.social
512 followers 532 following 481 posts

SFF writer & copy editor of all genres. Talks about punctuation, cooking, Tiny Dog & Tiny Puppy. Most niche interests: Chalet School & Sweet Valley High. She/Her www.imogenhowson.com

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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
An Extra Bad Writing Take.

“A genre romance book doesn’t have to end happily.”

YES.
IT.
DOES.

Can we seriously stop with this nonsense? All genres have conventions; this is ours. If it doesn’t have a HEA or a HFN, IT’S NOT ROMANCE GO AWAY.

imogenhowson.com
Copy editor and proofreader
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
TL;DR

Using the Oxford or serial comma is not a matter of correct/incorrect punctuation, but of style, and style is personal, and therefore always optional.

Please feel free to post questions, or email to immihowson@gmail.com

imogenhowson.com
Copy editor & Proofreader
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
For consistency, the Oxford comma is often used throughout a book, even where it’s not needed to prevent ambiguity. On the occasions where it creates ambiguity, style guides such as The Chicago Manual of Style recommend rewording that particular sentence, as below:

“Chastity gazed at her lovers, the army of the dead, and the dragon king.”
(Um, Oxford comma, all the members of the army of the dead are her lovers? Isn’t that, well, overkill?)

“Chastity gazed at her lovers and the army of the dead and the dragon king.”
(Phew, still just the four lovers. Chastity knows her limits.)

However, this is still a matter of style. If you’re with a publisher, they will probably impose their house style, which may or may not use the Oxford comma, on your book.

But if you’re self-publishing, and you want to generally avoid the Oxford comma, only using it to prevent ambiguity, or if you want to avoid it entirely, rewording sentences instead, then that’s perfectly correct.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
The Oxford comma is the comma before the final item in a list. It comes before “and” in sentences such as the one below:

“This romantasy book is full of morally grey men, dragons, and sex-magic.”

It’s often used in order to prevent ambiguity, as you can see from the two versions of the sentence below:

“In this romantasy, the heroine, Chastity, falls in love with the dragon-shifter twins, Fhlame and Fhyre.”
(With no Oxford comma, this could mean she’s in love with just two people (a pair of twins named Fhlame and Fhyre) or with four.)

“In this romantasy, the heroine, Chastity, falls in love with the dragon-shifter twins, Fhlame, and Fhyre.”
(Ah: thank you, Oxford comma! You’ve made clear that she’s in love with a pair of unnamed dragon-shifter twins and with two further people called Fhlame and Fhyre. Well, it is romantasy. Good for her.)
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
This Week's Bad Writing Take:

“The Oxford comma must always be used.”

Using the Oxford or serial comma is not a matter of correct/incorrect punctuation, but of style, and style is personal, and therefore always optional.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Two beautiful freshly groomed fluffy angels.
A very cute black and white Papillon dog sitting on a grooming table with a white satin bow that says "I woof you" in red round his neck.A very cute brown and white Papillon dog sitting on a grooming table with a white satin bow that says "I woof you" in red round his neck.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 31/10/2024
Willow the Tiniest Void and Tiny Dog, just being peaceful friends.
A brick-red sofa covered with a cream throw. In the corner is a black blob that's actually a small black cat. Close to her is a black and white Papillon dog with his nose resting next to his paws.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 30/10/2024
The void wishes to get the dogs' kibble which has been put specifically out of the voids's reach. The void was thwarted by a plant pot.
A black cat, almost invisible against a television, stands on her hind legs on the television table and attempts to reach a small dish on the above mantelpiece.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 23/10/2024
New wellies! (From Muck Boot company.)
My legs and feet in black trousers and half-height black wellies with magenta tops. Yellow autumn willow leaves scattered on pavement.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 22/10/2024
Open letter to Willow the Tiniest Cat with the Delicate Tummy: Dear Willow, it is a bad idea to try to help yourself to food left out on the worktop. It is a worse idea to try to help yourself to a dish full of sunflower oil left out on the worktop. (1/3)
A small black cat meows at the camera while standing next to a kitchen sink draining board.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 17/10/2024
Words recently said by Reverend Husband to this adorable good boy: "All right, come and see and then shut up." Rude.
Close-up of brown and white Papillon dog looking into the camera with huge brown eyes.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 11/10/2024
Cookie-dough skillet cooked in my teeniest-tiniest pan. V successful.
Baked cookie dough in a very small cast-iron skillet resting on a metal pan rest on a kitchen worktop.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 26/09/2024
Much pomp and circumstance yesterday as Reverend Husband was installed as an Honorary Canon of Ely Cathedral (pictured, third from right). He's still doing the same job, so this is just a nice recognition for how hard he works. I'm mostly enjoying all the scope for canon-based puns.
Several people in clerical robes standing in an ornate cathedral.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 23/09/2024
Willow the Tiniest Cat, who has a chronically sensitive stomach, attempting to make bad life decisions by trying to eat the houmous I'm throwing away because it's gone mouldy.
Very small black cat staring into the camera while perched on a kitchen worktop in front of a microwave.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 04/09/2024
Tiny Puppy has returned home, less five teeth, feeling vague and sorry for himself, and with instructions to be kept on soft food only. The first thing he did was steal Tiny Dog's (not soft) chew.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 04/09/2024
Ran out of peanut butter on Monday. Not risking that again. (Each pot is 1kg, 5kg of Tiny Dog for scale.)
Black-and-white Papillon dog sitting on a beige carpet next to a stack of two 1kg peanut butter tubs.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 04/09/2024
Tiny Puppy is at the dentist's today having his teeth cleaned under general anaesthetic. Tiny Dog doesn't approve of his brother not being here: I took him for a walk and within a few minutes he said a very clear No thank you. So we went home again and had a cheering-up biscuit instead.
Close-up of a beautiful black-and-white Papillon dog curled up on a turquoise throw on a sofa and looking up at the camera with huge brown mournful eyes.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 23/08/2024
The face of a Tiny Puppy who heard wind blowing in the night and had to jump onto the bed and come staggering sleepily up to us for protection.
A brown and white Papillon dog looking up at the camera with his ears back.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 17/08/2024
"One of my humans and Tiny Puppy and Willow the Tiniest Cat have all disappeared into the scary vet's scary surgery. I will watch alertly until they come out again."
A black and white Papillon dog sits in the front passenger seat of a parked car, looking very alert.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 17/08/2024
I have seen the void and it is smol.
A very small black cat dozing on a flight of carpeted stairs. Behind her is a multi-coloured pair of boots; next to her is a wicker stair basket.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 13/08/2024
I feel I should apologise for this latest obsession, but hey, you can always block me, right? New cast-iron pan, the size that I thought I was getting when I bought the first one! Reverend Husband enquired why I wasn't sending the first one back. Me: Because look at it!
Shot from above of two cast-iron frying pans, one medium-sized, one very small, on a wooden table.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 11/08/2024
Egg!
An egg frying in a tiny cast-iron frying pan on an induction hob.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 10/08/2024
And in the meantime (because it is SO adorable) I'm sort of carrying the pan around with me like a transitional comfort object.
50-something white woman with short dark hair sitting on a sofa and holding a tiny cast-iron frying pan in front of her face.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 04/07/2024
#DogsAtPollingStations Tiny Dog and Tiny Puppy say Bad Humans out; Good Humans in. (Or at least Less Catastrophically Awful Humans in because they understand the importance of tactical voting.)
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 31/03/2024
Tiny Puppy would like you to wish him a happy sixth birthday. But not too close, thank you, or he'll grrrrr.
Brown and white papillon dog lying on a sofa and giving you a suspicious look.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 05/01/2024
Another of my favourite Christmas presents. Meet Mr Coffee Cup! He's a cuddly thing AND a bag!
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 05/01/2024
One of my favourite Christmas presents. "Feminist" earrings!
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 02/01/2024
Traditional Christmas/New Year village flood! Tiny Puppy tried to help by drinking some of it.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 15/12/2023
Tiny Dog, the most precious of all the good boys, has to have a hernia operation this coming Monday. Please send all your most healing thoughts for him! And any tips for how to make his two-week recovery period easier will be very welcome!
An extremely cute black and white papillon dog lies on a teal-covered sofa and looks adorably at the camera.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 25/10/2023
Ears! Thank you, @janjonesauthor.bsky.social! (Pls ignore backdrop of dishes waiting to be put away.)
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 24/10/2023
Pumpkins to welcome the trick-or-treaters! (Not carved because it's too much hard work.)
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 19/10/2023
Repost with how people would know if you suddenly became rich.
Knee high boots elaborately decorated with Pokemon.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 28/09/2023
Drop something blue from your gallery.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 25/09/2023
When dogs think they're cats.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 23/09/2023
Today I'm embracing autumnal vibes with a blackberry-purple top and matching super-maxi skirt. I am excessively pleased with myself. (Hairstyle by Autumn Breeze.)
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 20/09/2023
Tiny Dog, nine years old today. Without question The Best Dog Ever. Probably a literal angel.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 14/09/2023
Off to Fantasycon! Wearing my awesome hedgehog boots and feeling pretty damn fancy.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 12/09/2023
Two Tinies insisted they needed a walk. In the rain. And that they should each take a ball with them. This led to them lying down in a quarrelsome bunch arguing about who should have which ball while I stood and waited for them. In the rain.
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Imogen Howson @imogenhowson.bsky.social · 07/09/2023
This is the face of a Tiny Puppy who has rolled his third (or possibly fourth) tiny tennis ball down the same rabbit hole. And who spent the rest of the walk looking at me hopefully as if I might magically produce it.
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