Comments on: Punctuation of Fictional Dialogue http://www.nimblebooks.com/wordpress/2009/02/punctation-of-fictional-dialogue/ An innovative, idiosyncratic independent publisher Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:39:05 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: wfz-admin http://www.nimblebooks.com/wordpress/2009/02/punctation-of-fictional-dialogue/comment-page-1/#comment-115 wfz-admin Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:15:44 +0000 http://www.nimblebooks.com/wordpress/?p=172612#comment-115 Michael -- I agree --"Shit shit shit" could be what the author meant to convey, so it might be correct here. In a lot of fiction manuscripts I read, the incorrectness of the punctuation is not even debatable. A lot of people seem to believe that dialogue shouldn't have any punctuation within it at all. Michael — I agree –”Shit shit shit” could be what the author meant to convey, so it might be correct here.

In a lot of fiction manuscripts I read, the incorrectness of the punctuation is not even debatable. A lot of people seem to believe that dialogue shouldn’t have any punctuation within it at all.

]]> By: Michael Hartford http://www.nimblebooks.com/wordpress/2009/02/punctation-of-fictional-dialogue/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Michael Hartford Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:03:15 +0000 http://www.nimblebooks.com/wordpress/?p=172612#comment-114 I'd agree with you on the first, but I think there are some subtle differences in the second. "Shit shit shit" seems hurried and muttered under one's breath, like keeping cadence while rushing after a missed train; "Shit, Shit, Shit!" is more emphatic, pounding one's fist on the bar after making an important point; and "Shit ... shit ... shit ..." is more contemplative, perhaps while reading an essay by Spinoza that suddenly makes everything clear. How about non-quoted dialogue, implying a faultily-recalled, not-quite-verbatim line? (Raymond Carver and Andre Dubus frequently did this.) Or the non-quoted dialogue preceded by a dash, so it looks almost like lines from a play? (I think of James Joyce's short stories, and a few contemporary Europeans, when I see this style.) So long as it's consistent through the piece--mixing and matching dialogue formats would be a mess--I like the clues that dialogue style can offer about a story. I’d agree with you on the first, but I think there are some subtle differences in the second. “Shit shit shit” seems hurried and muttered under one’s breath, like keeping cadence while rushing after a missed train; “Shit, Shit, Shit!” is more emphatic, pounding one’s fist on the bar after making an important point; and “Shit … shit … shit …” is more contemplative, perhaps while reading an essay by Spinoza that suddenly makes everything clear.

How about non-quoted dialogue, implying a faultily-recalled, not-quite-verbatim line? (Raymond Carver and Andre Dubus frequently did this.) Or the non-quoted dialogue preceded by a dash, so it looks almost like lines from a play? (I think of James Joyce’s short stories, and a few contemporary Europeans, when I see this style.) So long as it’s consistent through the piece–mixing and matching dialogue formats would be a mess–I like the clues that dialogue style can offer about a story.

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