Forum: Author Hangout

Maybe it's just my love of the em-dash. Or maybe I can't resist the opportunity to mention the Suns beat the Lakers. LOL

both

For authors, everything's sweeter with the occasional unusual punctuation (as it denotes something worth paying attention to for readers). It's even better than the uncommon unusual word, as they're usually skipped over (rather than looked up by curious readers).

For authors, everything's sweeter with the occasional unusual punctuation (as it denotes something worth paying attention to for readers). It's even better than the uncommon unusual word, as they're usually skipped over (rather than looked up by curious readers)

I would argue that it's actually the complete opposite. As both reader and dabbling writer, I tend to ignore all punctuation other than full stops and comma's. Apostrophes can go fuck themselves.

Unusual words, on the other hand, will have me either reaching for the dictionary (if handy) or Googling it.

Apostrophes can go fuck themselves.

Showing possession without them could be left to context, but in some cases, they designate a meaning change:

its vs it's

That, too, could be contextual, but the tiny clue helps when I'm reading (I prefer the possessive apostrophe as well).

Could we ditch most of them? Use "dont" for "don't"? Probably. We manage in everyday speech to figure it out without punctuation.

Writing has always been more formal than everyday speech, and we follow the convention, or we risk being thought of as 'uneducated'. Wrong as that may be, it's true.

Could we ditch most of them? Use "dont" for "don't"? Probably. We manage in everyday speech to figure it out without punctuation.

In my neck of the woods, we pronounce "can't" and "cant" differently ;-)

Everyday speech has lots of extraverbal cues as to meaning. Writing may be more formal but it occupies a narrower bandwidth even with the addition of punctuation.

AJ

Everyday speech has lots of extraverbal cues as to meaning. Writing may be more formal but it occupies a narrower bandwidth even with the addition of punctuation.

The bane of writing is you can't express emotion the same way you can with speech. Yes, you can describe it, but speech has so many shortcuts in that regard.

The bane of writing is you can't express emotion the same way you can with speech.

Very true.

Still, such challenges reward the better writers amongst us.

AJ

The bane of writing is you can't express emotion the same way you can with speech

Yes, and that's where the use of punctuation and text format can help a writer to convey emotions.

Yes, and that's where the use of punctuation and text format can help a writer to convey emotions.

Which punctuation, or formatting, do you employ for someone rolling their eyes? Pauses, that's easy, you can also emphasize specific words, though you really can't modify how someone emphasizes things based on context.

Which punctuation, or formatting, do you employ for someone rolling their eyes?

While I never said it covers every emotion, I'd challenge rolling your eyes as being an attitude and not an emotion.

I would argue that it's actually the complete opposite. As both reader and dabbling writer, I tend to ignore all punctuation other than full stops and comma's. Apostrophes can go fuck themselves.

Technically, there are establish (relative) time differences concerning pacing when using various punctuation marks (ex: semicolons take longer than commas, with em-dashes and full stops taking even longer).

Whilst I don't (knowingly) discriminate against colons, I certainly and shamefully admit to severely physically abusing mine, repeatedly with both solid and liquid abuse of the worst kind. Especially at this time of year when we should be showing love to all....

Everybody needs a colon. Having only a semi-colon requires significant medical intervention.

Usually, a semi-colon is the result of a partial (semi-)colon, not the other way around!

I tend to reserve colons for more format contexts: technical writing, business communications, and the like. I usually avoid it in fiction, unless a character or narrator is using a more formal register.

Journalism like that, I could go either way. But I've neither written nor edited journalism.

If you always use the 'high impact' em-dash rather than the colon, it could come across as shouty. I have the opposite fault - I almost always use colons.

Dead-tree newspapers might prefer colons because they take less space.

I suppose I have a weak claim to some amateur journalism, but purely on an amateur basis. I never got paid for any of the articles I wrote.

AJ

If you always use the 'high impact' em-dash rather than the colon, it could come across as shouty. I have the opposite fault - I almost always use colons.

For me, after listing several different options and the reasons why they may not be viable, I'll then use the em-dash to set off a final foreshadowing elements. Since it's a separate theme, readers tend to dismiss it, while the extra 'shouty' punctuation ensures that readers will remember it, even though they've already discounted it.

Again, the reason for that is so that readers will understand when the secret is revealed, even though readers generally don't anticipate it. As such, it makes for a very handy tool.