Speed in stoppage is important to sentence pacing.

Punctuation is good manners and the way to the top of the story mountain. Using periods is the surest way to halt a sentence — but many sentences pause on the way to the next clause. Too many sentences with only a period could be choppy writing. Or they might increase tension and escalate action; it's your choice. You want to vary things. One mark to embrace, if you can: the semicolon.

In the racecourse of writing, the semicolon is the middle ground. It's a harder stop than a comma, lacking the drama of the long dash, and tossing away the authority of the colon. The semicolon invites a read to connect a nuance or an aspect to whatever comes before it.

Commas are the most elegant and vexing marks in our language. A great roundup of how to use them comes from ARTiculate and Kristen Chavez. She's got 17 different types of comma uses explained on her site; be prepared for options. When you're self-editing, this can be a way to transform your writing at the sentence level. It will feel like good work.