Order Punctuation for Writers Read Excerpts Harvey Stanbrough is a poet, essayist, and fictionist. Collections of his poetry have been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, a Frankfurt Award, and an Inscriptions Magazine Engraver's Award. He works as a full-time freelance editor from his home near Pittsboro, Indiana and offers intensives and workshops on Observation, Poetry, and Fiction. Note: If you found this page through a search and would like to ask a specific question, feel free to email me at h_stanbrough@yahoo.com Read what Beth Morrow had to say about Punctuation for Writers. What actual writers are saying about Punctuation for Writers . . . "I just had to write you this note! I received your books a few days ago and I must say that every new writer should have your books! (Notice, I only used one exclamation point!) Punctuation for Writers and Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction were just the books I needed!" Jean D. Coggins Punctuation for Writers . . . is the best I've seen directed specifically to the craft of writing." ~ Phyliss Miranda, Panhandle Plains Writers, Amarillo, Texas "I read [Punctuation for Writers]. Excellent, excellent. I will be recommending it to my students this year and next year make it a requirement for class. It is a book every one who even attempts to write should have on his shelf. It's easy to understand, straight forward, and an excellent reference...." ~ Deborah Bouziden, Author, Instructor "I only got [Punctuation for Writers] yesterday afternoon, and I'm already halfway through it. I've learned more about punctuation, indeed the entire craft of writing, in less than 24 hours than the total from before. Great book!" ~ Phil Toler, Essayist and Short Story Writer "Harvey: Just finished reading [Punctuation for Writers] and it makes me glad you're my editor.... Every writers' workshop should use this book ... it's easy to understand and it's not intimidating at all." ~ Glen M. Glenn, Author, Ritual and A Painting of Heaven If any word magician can make punctuation problems easy to spot and solve, Harvey Stanbrough can. Give this book a try and watch your manuscripts improve under his knowledge and style." ~ Robyn Conley, Book Doctor and Author Punctuation for Writers ranks right up there with Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Harvey Stanbrough has eschewed some of the conventional means of grammar to present a guidebook that gives writers exactly what we need ? a better way to communicate with our readers on the written page." ~ BobYehling, Author, Full Flight and Divine Fixes "I love this book! I found it easy to use and understand. I don't think I've ever met anyone who cares more about helping writers improve their craft and get exactly what they want to say on paper. Harvey Stanbrough has his own work out there for writers to study, he offers editorial services, and now he has written a book to help writers with an irritating necessity." ~ Suzanne Spletzer, Former Executive Director, Author's Venue; Former President, Southwest Writers' Workshop Order Punctuation for Writers Return to Stone Thread

Excerpts from Punctuation for Writers . . .

from "Introduction" "Your most important task as a writer is to keep the reader reading, and punctuation has everything to do with that. Well-placed punctuation marks go quietly about their task, smoothly and invisibly guiding the reader through your work. But if it isn't used well, punctuation becomes far too apparent. Hasn't your own reading been disrupted by a misplaced comma? . . . If your reader also happens to be a publishing house editor, an agent, or a reviewer, your lack of skill in using punctuation can translate into a rejection of your work." from Section I, "A Reason for Pause" "Your careful, intentional use of punctuation will cause the reader to read your work precisely as you meant for it to be read. Individual paragraphs . . . will become a steep slope of sentences from which the reader can't escape until he is slammed, headlong and breathless, into the punch of the last terse statement." from Chapter 6, "Back to the Beginning" "Whenever you write a noun, you place a picture in the reader's mind. When you follow the noun with an action verb, the picture moves and actually shows the reader what's going on. When you don't have to tell a reader what's going on in the story, when he can see it for himself through your use of action verbs, you'll also need and use fewer descriptive adjectives and adverbs. Your use of action verbs directly involves the reader in the story rather than allowing him to be a passive (and uninterested) observer."