A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation - Hardcover

Lukeman, Noah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039306087X ISBN 13: 9780393060874

Publisher: W. W. Norton, 2006

Synopsis

The first practical and accessible guide to the art of punctuation for creative writers.

Punctuation reveals the writer: haphazard commas, for example, reveal haphazard thinking; clear, lucid breaks reveal clear, lucid thinking. Punctuation can be used to teach the writer how to think and how to write. This short, practical book shows authors the benefits that can be reaped from mastering punctuation: the art of style, sentence length, meaning, and economy of words. There are full-length chapters devoted to the period, the comma, the semicolon, the colon, quotation marks, the dash and parentheses, the paragraph and section break, and a cumulative chapter on integrating them all into "The Symphony of Punctuation." Filled with exercises and examples from literary masters (Why did Poe and Melville rely on the semicolon? Why did Hemingway embrace the period?), A Dash of Style is interactive, highly engaging, and a necessity for creative writers as well as for anyone looking to make punctuation their friend instead of their mysterious foe.

About this title

About the Author

Noah Lukeman is the author of the best-selling books on writing The First Five Pages and The Plot Thickens, now featured in curricula in many universities. He lives in New York City.

Review

A Dash of Style has a gorgeously direct and confidently-clarified writing style. This is so rare. -- Ellen Cooney, author of A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies

A Dash of Style is a delightful shift. I see genius at work here. -- Dr. Peggy Brown, Professor, Collin County Community College, Georgia

A page-turning book on the art of punctuation. It's a great resource for creative writers and teachers. -- Brian Ascalon Roley, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Miami University, Ohio, author of American Son

Clear and beautifully written....perfectly organized, conveys important but subtle truths...unique in perspective. -- Laura Oliver, Adjunct English Faculty, University of Maryland

I thought I knew everything there is to know about teaching punctuation. A Dash of Style taught me otherwise. -- Dr. Ervin Nieves, Department of English, Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa

It is a terrific book. In fact, it's flawless. -- John Smolens, Professor of Creative Writing at the MFA Program at Northern Michigan University

It puts plunk down everything you need to know about punctuation in one place where you can find it. -- Carol Bly, writing teacher and author Beyond the Writers Workshop

Lukeman's wit and insight make this an instant classic. -- M.J. Rose, author of The Delilah Complex

Never condescends to or makes the reader feel stupid....wise, funny, entertaining....the highest praise you could offer such a book. -- Paul Cody, Professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 039306087X
• ISBN 13: 9780393060874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224