Young Writers Society

Hannah wrote:Oh no, I totally understand we accent words when we talk. I was just saying that not everyone in the world talks like you do or accents the same words in the same way to mean the same thing, so forcing them to read them the way you've accented them could end in miscommunication.

Welll... If we are like that, then it should work out for everyone just fine then. Everyone talks differently. Everyone accents things differently. End result, when the author reads it out-loud because they are having problems accenting things or want to make sure it reads right. Presto! it will sound great.

Hopefully that made sense, @Hannah. I have a tendency to say things that are completely nonsensical.

Hopefully that made sense, @Hannah. I have a tendency to say things that are completely nonsensical.

Ahh! Some crossed wires.

I mean that you -- the WRITER -- may talk differently from the person who is trying to read your writing -- the READER -- which may prevent your story from being read comfortably or may get it misinterpreted.

Hannah wrote:I mean that you -- the WRITER -- may talk differently from the person who is trying to read your writing -- the READER -- which may prevent your story from being read comfortably or may get it misinterpreted.

So what is your solution to that? I do want my writing to be enjoyable for everyone, but at the same time, I do see italics important to my writing.
For the record, I have written for three years, and have only saw the need to write stuttering once. Yes. once. There are other emotions that you can convey. Personally, I see stuttering as difficult to read. Jerky, even. Anything jerky? Trash it. xD

@Hannah

Best example of italics changing a sentence:

"I never said she stole the money."

Every single word you emphasize changes the meaning, and I'll analyze it in spoiler because this will get long.



Italics are some of the most subtle but honestly best ways to draw emphasis to a particular thing, and it can be really hard to tell where to place them. But keeping in mind that different places have different effects helps quite a bit.

--

As for the whole "you can convey emotions through things around the speech but not with speech itself."

Nope.

Pay very close attention to IM patterns, where all body language is stripped out. Start noticing how people speak in different contexts.

For me, I fragment sentences and restart sentences when I'm stressed and unsure, and will go on paragraph long rambles when I'm angry. I get less enthusiastic when tired (from "Oooh I like it!" to "nice" depending on energy levels). I am very formal when reserved but very informal when comfortable ("Hi" or "hello" to "heyyy!"). These are all things you can put in directly in the text without any body language, and while it's super subtle it's very effective. Hard to do well, but possible.

Absolutely.

My thing with italics is that I write out the dialogue, and then I repeat what I wrote. How I accent the certain words when I say it is how I italicize them.
Pretty simple.

You're right! Italicizing different words does give you a different outcome, no matter the sentence. The one you picked was very good... But I think it applies to all sentences, really.

Italicizing different words does give you a different outcome, no matter the sentence.

Wow. Now it seems like I am saying that it only applies to you. That is an excellent point! I am glad you pointed that out.

I've never been fond of italics.

They're useful but easy to overdose on. Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time irritated me for precisely that reason. Italics inside words, between syllables, every other paragraph. The narrator's voice began tasting bitter and sarcastic.

On the other hand, I like the idea concerning writing how you speak. Reading a piece, the first things I note are fluency, character development, and grammar. Dialogue's an enormous factor. Either it flows naturally or it doesn't at all, and it's morphed into a way of lending your characters distinctive voices. (I don't think I need to mention punctuation.)

When a writer begins a project, I'd recommend for them to monitor their italics; when a writer begins a project, they're not familiar with their characters. Then they slip into a rhythm. At least, from what I've heard; I haven't had the pleasure of getting that far yet.

"Come on. We'll be skeletons by the time you get ready."

"C'mon, let's go."

"Hurry up!"

See the differences? The first one's tipping toward immature. The second is mildly urgent. The third spans across the speaker's personality. All up to you, however you want to develop your characters.