formal or informal. Which should I use either?

Example of each, please?

Formal or informal has nothing to do with the period in which a novel is set or if it's fantasy or modern.

As you suggest- It depends upon how the individual author wishes to approach his telling of any particular story.

What does what mean?

It's up to the individual writer to choose whether he wants to write in a formal or informal manner.

Business and professional letters are usually written in a formal manner.

Private or personal letters are usually in a more casual or informal manner.

I think Bufty means you can do whatever you want to do. Fantasy isn't locked into any particular voice. It's all on you as the writer.

If you want your medieval knight to tell someone to be quiet with "Still thy tongue, fool," and greet people with "Good day to thee, milord." then go for it. If you want him to say, "Shut up, you idiot," and "Morning, sir." that's fine too. No one will complain either way. Use whichever you prefer.

I recently finished a memoir "The Girl with Seven Names." It's very contemporary, but the writer used a quite formal style of writing. I didn't have a problem with it.

But maybe if you are writing about a MS13 gangster who is intimating a rival gangster outside a 7-11 and he says, "Good day to thee, milord." That could be comical.

Bufty said:

Formal or informal has nothing to do with the period in which a novel is set or if it's fantasy or modern.

As you suggest- It depends upon how the individual author wishes to approach his telling of any particular story.

Click to expand...

I agree with Bufty here.

People have spoken in formal and informal styles or registers at all (or most, anyway) times and places in history, as far as I know. The choice of formal versus informal usage (as per modern conventions) says a lot more about the person speaking (or narrating the story) than it does about the setting, though setting can certainly inform word choice and tone.

I'm not saying modern "Yo, dudes" slang or words or idioms that reference concepts or inventions that don't exist in a given culture wouldn't feel odd in a historical (or pre-industrial setting fantasy) novel, but there are different approaches to using language in different settings. You are "translating" your narrative and dialog into a form of English that is comprehensible to modern readers anyway.

Who is narrating your novel and what kind of voice would they have? A viewpoint character in first person? A third-person narrator using the perspective and voice of a viewpoint character (often called limited third). An external (omniscient) narrator telling the story in their own voice that is separate from that of any character? If you are choosing the latter, what kind of storytelling style does that external narrator have? External narrators can range from being almost invisible to being very formal to being very witty and chatty with definite opinions about the characters and story. What purpose does the narrative voice and style serve for the story? Who is the target audience for your book? What kind of narrative styles are common in recently published books in your chosen genre or marketing demographic?

There are no real "rules" about this, aside from don't bore or alienate your reader.

Generally the level of formality, part of what linguists refer to as a register, changes based on the situation, and the people involved.

This is true of fiction as well. Look at some books you love. Look at the language used by the narrator, look at the language used by various characters. Notice how some characters sound noticeably different from others—and how the language changes depending on who's talking and the person or people they're talking to or with.