tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post2855587339041159779..comments2023-07-03T07:26:04.780-04:00Comments on The Rejecter: A Question of StyleThe Rejecterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087643296072075641noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-76100771735814026932008-04-25T14:48:00.000-04:002008-04-25T14:48:00.000-04:00I once ran into a fanfic type who ended almost eve...I once ran into a fanfic type who ended almost every paragraph with an authorial "Little Did He/She/It/They Know..."<BR/><BR/>And in my own writing, I do use italics a LOT. Mostly inner thought and foreign/coined words. I also use a lot of compound sentences with two sentence/clauses separated by a semicolon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-3905579302194142352008-03-10T19:46:00.000-04:002008-03-10T19:46:00.000-04:00If you're writing Realist literary fiction, italic...If you're writing Realist literary fiction, italics are discouraged because it pedestals the text, creates an embeded text, a metadiegesis. The theory is you want the text to be the transparent medium that conveys the story. Anything that calls attention to itself breaks that dream.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-34353157762071066342008-03-08T21:16:00.000-05:002008-03-08T21:16:00.000-05:00If you feel you have too many phrases in italics, ...If you feel you have too many phrases in italics, you can always substitute deeper narration.<BR/><BR/>For instance:<BR/>He watched her leave the room. (Funny how time can go full circle.)<BR/><BR/>He watched her leave the room. It was funny how time could go full circle.<BR/><BR/>Heh, sorry I don't know how to do the italics in a comment.Sandra Cormierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00231342310371529022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-79912119626025350212008-03-08T19:33:00.000-05:002008-03-08T19:33:00.000-05:00I don't mind the odd line in italics, but it is ha...I don't mind the odd line in italics, but it is harder to read. The large sections in italics in the last Harry Potter were enough to make me cry.Polenthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14029549865473069051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-7391265606986967362008-03-08T15:25:00.000-05:002008-03-08T15:25:00.000-05:00There're some situations where it can't be avoided...There're some situations where it can't be avoided. Telepathic characters, for example. Alfred Bester had all sorts of specialized formatting for his "peepers" in Demolished Man, and this was back when it first came out in the 50s. I wonder if the blocks of italicized text he used would go through nowadays.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08953440687357138385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-59223982793422723532008-03-07T19:38:00.000-05:002008-03-07T19:38:00.000-05:00Sneak: the answer is in all those published books ...Sneak: the answer is in all those published books on the shelves of the chain stores.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-32946991139268663082008-03-07T19:14:00.000-05:002008-03-07T19:14:00.000-05:00S.T., I say yes, 'cause I still write like that. B...S.T., I say yes, 'cause I still write like that. But no more than a line at a time. Maybe two if I must.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13100565897627429788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-4287498434281493372008-03-07T19:08:00.000-05:002008-03-07T19:08:00.000-05:00Blaming the italics is missing the larger problem....Blaming the italics is missing the larger problem. I'd argue that if using italics to convey a character's thoughts is becoming a distraction, it's probably because you're relying too much on interior monologue to advance your story in the first place.<BR/><BR/>It would drive me crazy to read an entire book where characters' thoughts are put forth in plain text, undistinguishable from the rest of the narrative.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-31920570565491635112008-03-07T15:49:00.000-05:002008-03-07T15:49:00.000-05:00I've been asking this question for along time and ...I've been asking this question for along time and have never gotten a straight answer.<BR/><BR/>Obviously overuse is a bad thing. Overuse of anything is bad, except maybe single malt scotch.<BR/><BR/>But can a writer use italics for a quick peek into a character's mind without having to use a thought description.<BR/><BR/>A simple yes or no? Sheesh!Sneak Thiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04484277584929498764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-64132632673926986662008-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:002008-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:00Don't disrespect the ellipsis.That which is not sa...Don't disrespect the ellipsis.<BR/><BR/>That which is not said is sometimes more important than the words which tumble over a characters lips.<BR/><BR/>Ellipses rule.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-38052523667349627092008-03-07T08:59:00.000-05:002008-03-07T08:59:00.000-05:00Agent Chip MacGregor said in a recent session in f...Agent Chip MacGregor said in a recent session in front of my local writing group, that italics for thoughts were becoming less acceptable, and most publishers he knows are telling writers to change them back to plaintext.<BR/><BR/>I wonder how this reads? I'd hate to cause the reader to say, "Whoa, huh?" when transitioning from action or dialog to thought.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13100565897627429788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-42299790741037553502008-03-07T07:18:00.000-05:002008-03-07T07:18:00.000-05:00I blogged about italics on Wdnesday.Their main val...I blogged about italics on Wdnesday.<BR/>Their main value is emphasis.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-52701729145265690892008-03-07T06:43:00.000-05:002008-03-07T06:43:00.000-05:00Reading the first half of Eragon put me off doing ...Reading the first half of Eragon put me off doing this, ever.<BR/><BR/>"Hey Eragon, maybe you should go home and do something else that makes you seem like a complete twat."<BR/><BR/><I>He's right! Maybe I should go home and be more of a twat!</I><BR/><BR/>BleghAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-1848548033662676762008-03-07T00:01:00.000-05:002008-03-07T00:01:00.000-05:00I use italics to indicate thought, as in, "Shelly ...I use italics to indicate thought, as in, "Shelly considered the suspects' statement. <I>His phrasing was identical! Careful.</I>"<BR/><BR/>Every now and then I use quotes for thoughts, as in, Shelly thought, "His phrasing was identical." <BR/><BR/>Sometimes I just use narrative, as in "Shelly noticed that the phrasing the suspect used was identical to what was found in the file."<BR/><BR/>Whatever fits the situation. I try not to get too hung up on any one method for anything. But I do use italics for thought at least 2 or 3 times in every novel. <BR/><BR/>And <I>sometimes</I> I'll even use italics for emphasis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-55042873521292850872008-03-06T23:53:00.000-05:002008-03-06T23:53:00.000-05:00"If you find something new and you like it, have f..."If you find something new and you like it, have fun with it, but be aware that you shouldn't overuse it, especially if it's grammatically incorrect."<BR/><BR/>Doesn't have to be "new." Can be a style has fallen into disuse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-89618188867178866292008-03-06T21:19:00.000-05:002008-03-06T21:19:00.000-05:00I have the impression that the use of italics is b...I have the impression that the use of italics is becoming less common.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08274485227373284224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-86214578650172716122008-03-06T19:20:00.000-05:002008-03-06T19:20:00.000-05:00I used to read James Patterson many, many years ag...I used to read James Patterson many, many years ago. I stopped reading the Alex Cross books because of his overuse of italics. It became painful to try to weed through the fields of italics (aka pages), and I simply didn't bother to do it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com