Punctuation 101: A Fiction Writer's Guide to Getting it Right

by Jill Williamson

You don’t need to be an expert in grammar and punctuation to write great novels, but you do need to learn the basics. This handy reference includes all the need-to-know punctuation rules for fiction writers, and it’s presented in a clear, user-friendly format with lots examples for the visual learner—including some from popular novels.

Award-winning novelist Jill Williamson is a gifted teacher who helps writers develop their craft at conferences and online at goteenwriters.com and storyworldfirst.com. If you’re tired of paging through massive style guides or scouring the internet for information on em dashes, colons, or which words to capitalize in a title, Punctuation 101 will save you lots of time and energy, which you can spend writing your novel.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2018

About the author

Jill Williamson is a multi-passionate creative who loves the arts. She’s written over thirty books for readers of all ages and is best known for her Blood of Kings fantasy series, two of which won Christy Awards and made VOYA magazine’s Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror list. She produces films with her husband and teaches about writing at conferences. Visit her at www.jillwilliamson.com.

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Reviews

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful, succinct book on the dreaded punctuation I hate because I can never get it right, lol. Has anyone else noticed that commas are just THE WORST and always seem to end up in the wrong places?

No? Just me? Oh well, at least this book can help me out with that and other errors I’m bound to create. 😂

Highly recommend, especially if you’re indie publishing and are trying to do as much self editing as you possible can.

[Jill Williamson]

I wrote this book for the writers I met on goteenwriters.com who said they wanted such a book. I hope this helps, you guys. Keep on writing!

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this! Lol...

Anyway, this is a great little guide. Definitely something I'll be keeping near my desk for reference when editing my books. I appreciated the way where every type of punctuation was broken down into separate sections.

[deborah o'carroll (offline during 2026) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the chance to help beta-read/proofread this little book and I absolutely loved it! PUNCTUATION 101 is practical, succinct, fun, and easy to read. I zoomed right through it! I learned a few things, and I think it will be a very helpful book to refer to in the future. :)

[D.J. Edwardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short little book gets right to the point. All those obscure rules and odd quirks of punctuation that give you fits are explained in quick, concise sections, written in a clear, accessible, and dare I say engaging way (if grammar can be engaging). All of which makes this is a tremendous resource for the fiction writer. It's got a great index for future reference, lots of examples, and answers just about every little niggling question you're likely to have.

It's not exhaustive, but it is eminently practical. The narrow focus allows the author to cut out all those bizarre facets of grammar you won't every use. If you write fiction, or are a student looking to improve your writing, get this book. Highly, highly recommended.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable and practical guide to using punctuation in fiction writing. Williams uses examples from popular fiction works as well as her own to show how the proper punctuation can really aid in the reader's understanding of a sentence.

I fear, however, that commas will remain my cryptonite.