Since italic is a big no-no, you have to use other measures to get the emphasis through. More subtle and less “reliable”, but you give the readers just enough hints to get their movie-minds going.
This little "magic" is called punctuation.
Let me take an example from Grammatically Correct by Anne Stilman:
"So he really said that, did he?"
This indicate surprise or interest
"So he really said that, did he."
This hint about an uninterested or maybe mused reaction.
"So he really said that, did he!"
This suggests an excited or angry response.
We could also use a combination of a question mark and an exclamation point like this: “What?!”
There are grammatical rules about where and how to use commas, periods, question marks and so on. I think it is a good idea to become familiar with them.
But when writing dialog I also believe in a certain amount of freedom. One reason is that we don’t always speak grammatically correct and we need some space to reveal character and get a natural feeling over the lines.
Another reason is to put emphasis where you want it.
Now, take it easy and be moderate. We. Don’t. Want. It. Allovertheplace.
Painting by Remedios Varo
Used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License
Image edited by the writer
4 comments:
This was a fun read with that last line.
Thank you :-)
Wow, that's interesting, you show us that a big difference can be created with a tiny small detail. That is what I admire in writers like you.
I'm flattered. Thank you.
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