Using capital letters in dialogue in fiction

Guy Fawkes · Aug 16, 2006

Using all capital letters in dialogue in fiction

I've tried to use the search function on this board but cannot find anything that is close to my answer.

I am wondering about using all caps in a manuscript to signify emphasis and loud volume. The following dialogue is an example of what I mean.

"Tell the police nothing. NOTHING!"

This is the only place in a 90k manuscript where it occurs. I could see that it could become very tiring if it occurred every few pages.

I know that all caps is internetwrite for shouting. But I am wondering if it has a basis in manuscript format.

thanks

Sesselja · Aug 17, 2006

I would have thought italics would be a better choice than capital letters. Or better still, no formatting. Let the readers get the urgency from the dialogue alone.

writermom · Aug 17, 2006

I’m not a fan of caps. I use the theory, you need to write well enough to have your dialogue speak for itself.

Angelinity · Aug 17, 2006

it would bother me to see that in a book i was reading. there should be more subtle ways for the author to convey urgency.

MyFirstMystery · Aug 17, 2006

I agree. You might consider some description in your dialogue attribution if it's not overdone throughout the book.

"Tell them Nothing." he said, his face red as he spluttered "Nothing!"

That's a weak example, but you probably get my drift. Even better if his anger is evident from the action in the scene.

MFM

Bayou Bill · Aug 17, 2006

For what it's worth, that use, since it occurs only once in the novel, doesn't bother me. If an agent/editor objects, the CAPS can be changed. IMHO, it won't be a deal breaker.

Bayou Bill

howiehok · Aug 17, 2006

I agree. You might consider some description in your dialogue attribution if it's not overdone throughout the book.

"Tell them Nothing." he said, his face red as he spluttered "Nothing!"

I would do something similar to the above as well-interrupt the sentence to convey some emotion.

However, it doesn't bother me that much at all to see one word in capitals. Not a big deal in my opinion. I wouldn't have too many exclamation marks throughout book though, I feel it is a bit of a cop out to display emotion, but in moderation is fine.

gwendy85 · Aug 17, 2006

Hey! I found this thread very useful too! So, CAPS must be used in moderation? I got myself a lot of screaming in my novel so I tend to use a lot of caps and use italics if the word is being stressed.

So...I guess that means back to editing.

But I'd like to know...which is better? NO!!! or No!!! or No!!! or even Nooo!!!

Bayou Bill · Aug 17, 2006

gwendy85 said:
Hey! I found this thread very useful too! So, CAPS must be used in moderation? I got myself a lot of screaming in my novel so I tend to use a lot of caps and use italics if the word is being stressed.

So...I guess that means back to editing.

But I'd like to know...which is better? NO!!! or No!!! or No!!! or even Nooo!!!

IMHO, none of those BECAUSE they use more than one excalamation mark. Let your writing, not your punctuation, tell the story.

Bayou Bill

Steve W · Aug 17, 2006

Hi,

I don't have a problem with either caps or italics - I've used both. Most people consider caps in emails to be shouting, so they'll get the message in a book. Yes, you can add description, or let your dialogue speak for itself, but sometimes you just want to let fly and, in MODERATION (see, that extra emphasis does come in handy), caps are fine.

Cheers,
Steve

Angelinity · Aug 17, 2006

gwendy85 said:
But I'd like to know...which is better? NO!!! or No!!! or No!!! or even Nooo!!!

how about 'No.', or, 'No, ...' ? ;P

less is more, as they say. :-]

Sesselja · Aug 17, 2006

Bayou Bill said:
IMHO, none of those BECAUSE they use more than one excalamation mark. Let your writing, not your punctuation, tell the story.

Bayou Bill

I agree. Use italics, caps, footnotes, and exlamation marks sparingly. And exclamation mark is never used more than one at the time.

Rob D. · Aug 17, 2006

Sesselja said:
And exclamation mark is never used more than one at the time.

I'll pay you a few dollars if you can convey that message to approx. half of my MSN contacts.

In my mind the exclamation mark and caps are redundant.

"Tell the police nothing. Nothing!" - that would work well enough for me. Interrupting the sentence also seems unnecessary, but I suppose it depends on the context. I'm definitely a 'less is more' enthusiast.

Sesselja · Aug 17, 2006

Rob D. said:
I'll pay you a few dollars if you can convey that message to approx. half of my MSN contacts.

Sorry, too busy working on my own contacts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bufty · Aug 17, 2006

I can take an odd instance, but I generally don't like seeing stuff in dialogue in Capitals. The content and context ought to be enough to convey the manner in which the dialogue is spoken.

Indeed, to me, the example quoted originally does not work. Try it, and REALLY SHOUT IT OUT- it sounds silly to me.

Jim gripped Ted's arm and leaned closer. "Tell the police nothing. You understand? Nothing."

Or,

"Tell them nothing," yelled Jim from the doorway. "Nothing!"

Aizeron · Aug 17, 2006

I would have to agree with many other people here. Since you've only used it once in your entire manuscript, it should work to show just how emotional that character is. My best advice (and I'm by no means an expert about anything) would to be look over that page yourself, which is what I did when I was deciding the same thing. If the caps just don't seem to fit, find another way to express that moment. Part of it will come down to your judgment and what feels right to you. After all, who knows your story better?

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 17, 2006

"Tell the police nothing. Nothing!"

I think it works just fine without the caps. In fact, I can't recall ever seeing caps used in a published novel. I use the ALL the time here, but I would NEVER use them in a story. It I want to emphasize something, well, that's what italics or underlines are for.

As Rob D. said, the caps are redundant with an exclamation mark.

MidnightMuse · Aug 17, 2006

I'd have to agree with the funny-looking ferret. Punctuation is there to show people how something is to be emphasized, and one exclamation point is all you need. The fact that you're ending the sentence with a hard stop, then repeating the word and adding one ! gives the reader all the information they need to mentally hear that word has been shouted or emphasized with drama.

Gillhoughly · Aug 17, 2006

I've used caps myself, but sparingly and ONLY when I want to indicate something really important.

In my WIP I have a lady chasing some guys from her place and she's really mad. First she yells "Out!" the hero has his reaction, then "Out!" more hero reaction, then "OUT!" followed by a gunshot. By then the hero is running. Had he hung around for a fourth he'd have been dead.

You'll note I built up to it in something I call the rule of threes. Once to intro, twice to establish, and a third time for the release and final reaction. I learned it from comedians.

As stated in other posts, use sparingly. I have some books where it doesn't appear at all, on others, only once. It can be used for comedic effect, but again, sparingly. The device loses impact otherwise.

Then I leave it to my editor & beta readers to let me know if it worked or not!

Good luck!

SeanDSchaffer · Aug 17, 2006

According to the submission guidelines of a couple publishing companies I've dealt with in the past, the best way to indicate shouting is through the use of underlining your words. According to the publishers, this is how they indicate italics in manuscripts.

So I would probably go that route. Instead of saying:

"Tell the police nothing. NOTHING!"

I would write:

"Tell the police nothing. Nothing!"

It might not have the same effect visually, but from what I've found, it has the desired effect when an editor looks over your work.

Bufty · Aug 17, 2006

Italics conveys emphasis to me more than an indication of a shout. But context would matter.

UrsusMinor · Aug 17, 2006

All caps?

DON'T.

NeuroFizz · Aug 17, 2006

To me, Ferret has the best, most common sense solution. Use the exclamation point very sparingly, but use it here, in the original instance of this thread. Some people will claim that use of caps or italics to indicate loud dialogue is lazy writing--using font gimmicks to get across what your writing should do. Other people claim it is the mark of an amateur writer. Some of the people who feel this way may be editors or agents. Obviously, exceptions exist, and some legit ones are found in the posts above. In my opinion, for a beginning writer, it's best to avoid using font changes to indicate variations in dialogue. Why not re-do the dialogue so what is said, along with associated actions and reactions, get across how the dialogue is expressed. Is this not the way to become an expressive writer?

Exclamation points are designed for providing emphasis, but they should be used extremely sparingly. I'd suggest saving them for instances in which there is no other way to get that shout across.

rwam · Aug 17, 2006

Like the others are saying, AVOID CAPS WHEN POSSIBLE! If nothing else, at least keep CAPS and italics out of the first 50 pages.

sassandgroove · Aug 17, 2006

Just to be me...I have to say...

I just read The Devil Wears Prada And there is one character that speaks in all caps. He only appears a couple of times, it wasn't stated, but being that he was a fashion guy, I took it to mean he was speaking loudly and flamboyantly. So there is a professional novel using all caps, successfully. That is all.

Using capital letters in dialogue in fiction

Guy Fawkes

Sesselja

writermom

In the never-ending edit cycle

Angelinity

absent

MyFirstMystery

Having Fun with Words

Bayou Bill

AW Ne'er-Do-Well

howiehok

gwendy85

~Proudly Mestiza~

Bayou Bill

AW Ne'er-Do-Well

Steve W

Angelinity

absent

Sesselja

Rob D.

Sesselja

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Aizeron

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

MidnightMuse

Midnight Reading

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

SeanDSchaffer

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

UrsusMinor

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

rwam

sassandgroove

Sassy haircut

Using capital letters in dialogue in fiction

Sesselja

In the never-ending edit cycle

absent

Having Fun with Words

AW Ne'er-Do-Well

~*Proudly Mestiza*~

AW Ne'er-Do-Well

absent

Sesselja

Sesselja

Where have the last ten years gone?

Aizeron

Court Jester

Midnight Reading

Grumpy writer and editor

SeanDSchaffer

Where have the last ten years gone?

The grad students did it

Sassy haircut

~Proudly Mestiza~