Since this is the first time I have tried to write a true multi-chapter story and post it as I go, I have become a bit more aware of how I write, and how I then go back and re-read it.
And one of the things I most noticed in re-reading is that in writing my stories, I almost never use contractions. So in my reading back I tend to spend a lot of time replacing "it is" with "it's", "you have" with "you've", and the like.
For some reason, I never really noticed that before. It most certainly is not the way I talk, or how I think my characters are talking. But it always seems to come out that way.
I wonder if Damon Runyon came up with his colorful dialog in the same way. For those not familiar with Mr. Runyon, I suggest you read about him. One of the most colorful and under appreciated writers in American literature, a lot of his stories have been turned into movies, as well as a great classic radio series. I read, listened to, and watched many of his stories over the years. But until I read about his style, I never consciously realized that he almost never used contractions.
As the great Mr. Runyon once wrote, "Now most any doll on Broadway will be very glad indeed to have Handsome Jack Madigan give her a tumble" .