All Questions
13 questions
3
votes
3
answers
913
views
Should ending punctuation be put before or after an ellipsis? Compare ?..., ...?, !... and ...!
Through reading some self-published novels, I have noticed some writers in their character dialogue put an exclamation mark or question mark before an ellipsis and sometimes after. However I am not ...
- 41
1
vote
2
answers
92
views
When a character is mentally recalling prior dialog verbatim, how should it be quoted?
When a character is mentally recalling prior dialog verbatim, should the dialog be surrounded by double-quotes or single-quotes, be italicized, or get no special treatment at all?
For example:
O'...
- 123
0
votes
3
answers
149
views
How to give the voice expression of shouting as well as rhetorical question
While writing dialogue, I came across this confusion. There are some moments when the characters are deep in their thoughts (past troubling thoughts), and something happens that makes them flip-out. ...
- 255
3
votes
4
answers
364
views
Trying to figure out the correct type punctuation for dialogues
I'm currently writing a story which so far is going well, but I reached a point in the story where I don't know how to proceed. When a character is talking, I write their dialogue just like this:
"...
- 33
3
votes
2
answers
557
views
How should these be formatted? In quotes or italics?
I have a dilemma here and I hope any one of you can help me with this: I have been using double quotation marks for dialogues and italics for internal dialogues but I have no idea how to categorise ...
- 45
2
votes
1
answer
537
views
Capitalisation after punctuation in dialogue
I've seemed to have a problem with getting this right and doubting myself. In regards to writing dialogue, do you follow up with capitalisation after punctuation marks? Can someone tell me which is ...
- 21
0
votes
3
answers
95
views
The difference between two speech formats
I am conflicted about which one is appropriate for a story, or whether it makes a difference at all. A few years ago, god knows where, I've seen speech that was formatted like so:
—Hello. - Tom ...
- 123
2
votes
2
answers
4k
views
When not to use commas before dialogue (and capitals)
I'm struggling with when to omit the comma before dialogue (as well as when to use capitals) in fiction writing. My understanding is that you would omit the comma before/after something like "he says" ...
- 979
5
votes
2
answers
493
views
Using comma splices in dialogue
At university, it was drilled into us to avoid comma splices like the plague, but I keep seeing them in all different types of famous, best-selling novels.
I read things (all in dialogue, in inverted ...
- 979
2
votes
2
answers
471
views
Which one is the correct dialogue punctuation format?
I am writing my first novel and this the very first confusion I would like to clarify. As I am not a native English speaker, I find it very hard to understand the punctuation scheme in direct speeches....
- 23
5
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Proper way to punctuate an abrupt stopping of speech?
I'd like to properly punctuate one of my characters being stopped in speech, followed by a sentence that explains that the character didn't have time to finish. It's going to be something like this, ...
- 569
4
votes
5
answers
520
views
Punctuating Thoughts
Following my question here I am still unsure if it is a 'hard and fast' rule to italicise thoughts.
My preference is to use normal quotation marks, so that if a person is thinking in a dialogue ...
- 1,430
6
votes
5
answers
19k
views
Using dashes in writing dialogue
Does anyone use em dashes (or two hyphens) to denote speakers in dialogue passages? Joyce does this as does William Gaddis. Many others. I practice it, but my only "conceptual understanding" ...
- 1,008