Curious Writing Style

jayinfrance · May 12, 2013

It's funny how one reads a novel without actually observing the editing/writing style until you are writing a novel yourself.

Now I'm at the 'severe editing' stage I'm checking out books on the shelf for tips, and I've discovered one I read ages ago, from a very successful writer, and she has a most peculiar way of writing dialogue.

She uses no inverted commas, just a dash... for example:

- Why have we to go so far to meet him? Louise grumbled: you'd have thought he could have made a bit more effort.
Annette defended him.
- How can we tell? All I know is...etc.

This seems quite bizarre. I might be tempted to try it just for experimental purposes, but I can't afford a rejection right now(lol). I vaguely remember I gave the novel up after a few chapters.... this might have been the reason.

Anyone else come across this?

WriteMinded · May 12, 2013

My advice is to avoid such things. I doubt anyone powerful enough to help you get your book published would read beyond the first sentence. When you are so famous that publishers are fighting over your books, you might be able to get away with it. When that happens, I still won't buy or read your books. Crap like that is distracting, and it looks like you - and the author you mention - don't know how to use punctuation.

tko · May 12, 2013

why do you want to try it?

I don't get it. You don't seem to like it, couldn't finish the book, but why to try this?

I don't see the point. Unless the are communicating telepathically.

Punctuation s/b as transparent as possible. Unless you're Victor Borg.

LJD · May 12, 2013

I believe this is how dialogue is normally punctuated in French, and some other languages.

There are also some authors who leave out quotation marks. I've come across this in Angela's Ashes and Come, Thou Tortoise. I believe Cormac McCarthy does it as well.

Raindrop · May 12, 2013

Looks like typical French dialogue punctuation to me:
http://litreactor.com/columns/talk-it-out-how-to-punctuate-dialogue-in-your-prose (somewhere down the page)

flapperphilosopher · May 12, 2013

I've seen this in some "literary" books. When all the dialogue is like that, I personally find it pretty annoying--it doesn't enter my mind as spoken dialogue, and reminds me far too forcefully of the presence of the author. However, I think using different formats for dialogue, like that or no quotation marks, can be effective as a stylistic choice in certain contexts, to set that dialogue apart from other dialogue for whatever reason. I don't have the book with me but I'm pretty sure Margaret Atwood does this in The Blind Assassin-- the book moves between different times and stories and one of them has dialogue like that, while the others are ordinary, quotation mark dialogue. I think it works there.

Jane Wallace-Knight · May 12, 2013

jayinfrance said:
She uses no inverted commas, just a dash.

I can't read books or fanfiction that don't use speech quotations.

Susan Coffin · May 12, 2013

Also, some of the classics have odd punctuation. They are fun to read.

Torill · May 12, 2013

This used to be standard in Norwegian books. This isn't necessarily experimentation, just different 'codes of conduct' it in different areas and periods. You should accomodate your style to the conventions in the area where you wish to be published.

ellio · May 12, 2013

James Joyce's Ulysses begins like that. I know it's been heralded as the most important work of modernist literature but I couldn't get past the first part because it was written like that.

That said, the book I'm writing doesn't use inverted commas, so I'm a hypocrite.

There really is no point editing your book that way if you haven't written it that way. By all means experiment with it, that's one of the best ways to find your own style, but don't edit a piece of completed work to try it. It would be wasting your time applying it to a finished novel I think.

Sonsofthepharaohs · May 12, 2013

Torill said:
This used to be standard in Norwegian books. This isn't necessarily experimentation, just different 'codes of conduct' it in different areas and periods. You should accomodate your style to the conventions in the area where you wish to be published.

Seconding. When I used to trawl through lots of international academic journals, I noticed that German sometimes uses <<quotation>> around quotes instead of speech marks, but I find it very distracting to read.

Just punctuate your novel in the current convention for the market you wish to be published in.

buz · May 12, 2013

Kallithrix said:
Seconding. When I used to trawl through lots of international academic journals, I noticed that German sometimes uses <<quotation>> around quotes instead of speech marks, but I find it very distracting to read.

In my Russian textbooks, it was always either

The girl said <<Let's all sing a happy song!>>

or

-- Oh my God! -- said the prince.

Old Hack · May 12, 2013

It's no big deal.

I've seen all sorts of writers use this form: for example, Sue Gee.

So long as you're consistent it's easily changed if it puts enough people off: what's important is the writing, not how you use punctuation.

jayinfrance · May 12, 2013

Thanks for all your replies. I actually have no intention of writing like that ... it was kind of a throw- away- remark (note to self, don't make throw-away-remarks on a writer's forum) I was just curious to know if it was an accepted form. The French connection mentioned is interesting as the author is in fact Anglo French, so maybe that's why she used it, even though the writing was in English.
And I acually think the reason I didn't finish it was it was just plain boring!

Anna Spargo-Ryan · May 12, 2013

My WIP opens with dialogue that's punctuated in this way, but it's for the same purpose as flapperphilosopher mentioned--a different time period. The rest of the book uses normal quotation marks.

I think the first writer I saw use the dash was Irvine Welsh, but then he is king of bizarre literary devices.

eyeblink · May 12, 2013

Roddy Doyle uses en dashes for dialogue in his adult novels. His children's books use standard quote marks, apparently because he was asked to when writing for younger readers. That said, I recently read an award-winning YA that uses en dashes: in Darkness by Nick Lake.

As mentioned above, James Joyce is probably the most famous user of en dashes in English. He was not a fan of what he called "perverted commas".

I normally use inverted commas (double ones) but I have used en dashes for particular reasons now and again.

mirandashell · May 12, 2013

I think it's fairly common in Irish writing.

Not everyone does things the same way.

kuwisdelu · May 12, 2013

「This isn't weird or experimental punctuation; it's just non-American punctuation」と言った。

Laura Klein · May 12, 2013

Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie is YA with italics as dialogue... I'm pretty sure it was Sonnenblick's first novel. It's jarring, but I got used to it pretty fast when I had to read it for school.

njmagas · May 12, 2013

kuwisdelu said:
「This isn't weird or experimental punctuation; it's just non-American punctuation」と言った。

「(S)he took the words right out of my mouth」だと思った。

u.v.ray · May 12, 2013

LJD said:
I believe this is how dialogue is normally punctuated in French, and some other languages.

There are also some authors who leave out quotation marks. I've come across this in Angela's Ashes and Come, Thou Tortoise. I believe Cormac McCarthy does it as well.

Yes. I have seen a number of writers do it. Successful ones, too.

There is nothing wrong, in my eyes, with being more creative with punctuation as well as the prose itself. Of course, there has to be a reason for it -- it has to compliment the story being told.

I've seen some instances where a writer uses no punctuation at all. I have no idea why some are of the opinion we must follow institutionalised rules and regulations.

If musicians followed all the rules we'd never have had some of the most important and influential bands in rock n roll history -- such as Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, The Sex Pistols and the Ramones.

mirandashell · May 13, 2013

with being more creative with punctuation as well as the prose itself. Of course, there has to be a reason for it -- it has to compliment the story being told.

Hang on...... Brit punctuation isn't the default, you know. People in other countries have their own rules. Nothing to do with being 'creative'.

shadowwalker · May 13, 2013

If I were reading a book that I knew was using standard punctuation for whatever country it was initially written for, I don't think I'd have a problem with it. It would take some getting used to, but I'd be prepared. If I were reading a book written initially for an English speaking audience, I wouldn't be happy, and unless the story was exceptional, I'd probably toss it before long. Call me a fuddy-duddy, but to me, that's just being pretentious. I want to read a good story, not deal with an artsy-fartsy author.

Curious Writing Style

jayinfrance

WriteMinded

Derailed

tko

just thanks fore everything

LJD

Raindrop

flapperphilosopher

Jane Wallace-Knight

Wading through a sea of words

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

Torill

Not as trollish as you might think

ellio

a hardback life on an ebook budget

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy

buz

can't stop hemorrhaging emojis

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

jayinfrance

Anna Spargo-Ryan

Just pokin' about

eyeblink

Barbara says hi

mirandashell

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

Laura Klein

njmagas

u.v.ray

greatest writer of his generation

mirandashell

shadowwalker

empty-nester!