Great analysis as always! I was wondering about italics too. I liked them when I saw them used for dialogue most recently in Sarah Broom's The Yellow House. They made the dialogue feel more authentic somehow, but I could never put my finger on it the way you did. Honestly I mostly just thought it was cool.
Although italics could be problematic, since emphasized words within the quote would have to be non-italicized, and lose their punch. As in the Agazzi quote above. Hit harder, without the italics, could seem bland.
Yes! You have to do a kind of multiplying by -1 calculation with italics when you want to emphasize a word (ah, i should emphasize the *non*-italic word), which can be tricky. I still think it's worth it, though (I'm trying it in something at the moment.)
In my seat-of the pants first draft of a fairly pathetic (so far) short story I am using different colours for the different speakers to help speed me on my way.
I invented the idea myself, because I hate typing (35+ years as a translator made me completely fed up of banging away on a keyboard) but the different colours help to soothe my irritation, keep track of what is going on and inspire me strangely enough.
I can see that! And I've enjoyed playing with colors in other realms a lot lately (choosing the perfect Hue lightscapes to match my moods, selecting a color palette for my own Substack) so I can imagine putting in the time to select a color that matches each character's vibe and that being a useful differentiator each time I write their dialogue.
I've mostly been pretty conventional! I used italics instead of quotes in one book, and I feel like it definitely changed how I thought about the voices-within-voices (and that may have been the first time I thought about this stuff in a semi-rigorous voice).
I just love this so much! Thank you for this insightful answer, wrapped in such a delightful metaphor, to a question I have wondered about, but couldn't figure out, so instead, made lazy judgements: Trendy. Show-Off. Or, if I liked what I read, just, hmmmm, why this? No idea. Your explanation makes so much sense! I can't wait to find examples and experience the dialogue now.
Great analysis as always! I was wondering about italics too. I liked them when I saw them used for dialogue most recently in Sarah Broom's The Yellow House. They made the dialogue feel more authentic somehow, but I could never put my finger on it the way you did. Honestly I mostly just thought it was cool.
Thanks, Mary! Yes, I wanted to include italics but worried I was getting too long-winded already!
Yes, do italics! This discussion is so interesting. I really don't know why italics, and would love to hear your thoughts.
Although italics could be problematic, since emphasized words within the quote would have to be non-italicized, and lose their punch. As in the Agazzi quote above. Hit harder, without the italics, could seem bland.
Yes! You have to do a kind of multiplying by -1 calculation with italics when you want to emphasize a word (ah, i should emphasize the *non*-italic word), which can be tricky. I still think it's worth it, though (I'm trying it in something at the moment.)
Well I could learn a lot from you about not being long-winded!
A shrewd article as always, Ben. Thanks a lot.
In my seat-of the pants first draft of a fairly pathetic (so far) short story I am using different colours for the different speakers to help speed me on my way.
Interesting! I've never tried that.
I’ve never heard of this but now I want to try it!
I invented the idea myself, because I hate typing (35+ years as a translator made me completely fed up of banging away on a keyboard) but the different colours help to soothe my irritation, keep track of what is going on and inspire me strangely enough.
I can see that! And I've enjoyed playing with colors in other realms a lot lately (choosing the perfect Hue lightscapes to match my moods, selecting a color palette for my own Substack) so I can imagine putting in the time to select a color that matches each character's vibe and that being a useful differentiator each time I write their dialogue.
I wonder how you feel about quotation marks in your work?
I've mostly been pretty conventional! I used italics instead of quotes in one book, and I feel like it definitely changed how I thought about the voices-within-voices (and that may have been the first time I thought about this stuff in a semi-rigorous voice).
Thanks, Ben, worth pondering!
Then there’s Sally Rooney.
I just love this so much! Thank you for this insightful answer, wrapped in such a delightful metaphor, to a question I have wondered about, but couldn't figure out, so instead, made lazy judgements: Trendy. Show-Off. Or, if I liked what I read, just, hmmmm, why this? No idea. Your explanation makes so much sense! I can't wait to find examples and experience the dialogue now.