Punctuation for Writers: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Essays

by Harvey Stanbrough

True to the name of the Thorough Primer Series for Writers, Punctuation for Writers is a concise, thorough, one-two punch. The first section explains the rules of punctuation, including how to break those rules intentionally to achieve a particular effect. In the second section, Stanbrough puts punctuation in perspective with a brief but thorough and witty grammar refresher.

Genres: Writing

73 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Harvey Stanbrough was born in New Mexico, seasoned in Texas, and baked in Arizona. After having survived a 21-year civilian-appreciation course in the US Marine Corps, Harvey managed to sneak up on a bachelor’s degree at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales in 1996. Harvey has written and published nine nonfiction ebooks on writing, including Punctuation for Writers and Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction, which are also available in print, and his very popular The Essentials of Digital Publishing. His comprehensive poetry collection, Beyond the Masks, was nominated for the National Book Award and he’s published three other poetry collections. Finally, he’s published four short story collections (Vignettes from a C-130, Six Years in May, The Well, and Stories from the Cantina), plus numerous other short stories. He most enjoys writing magic realism, and one of his major characters, Juan-Carlos Salazár, actually has his own blog at CantinaTales.com. In all, Harvey's works have been nominated for the Frankfurt Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Pushcart Prize and the National Book Award. Harvey spoke at writers’ conferences around the country for several years, but now he teaches his Writing the World Seminars mostly in southeast Arizona. However, he plans to offer those in webinars soon.

Reviews

[James Maxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In searching for ways to improve my writing skills, I found it particularly difficult to locate resources on punctuation that pertain to authors.

There are so many rules and regulations that it's hard to know where they deviate in a fictional environment. Stanbrough does a great job at spelling everything out clearly and concisely.

If his demonstration of punctuation wasn't enough, he goes on to provide a very basic, yet important overview of grammar principles. Having often been somewhere between lethargy and befuddlement with most grammar books, I found Stanbrough's summary to be quite helpful and applicable.