What is the best way to show a character stammering through his words or changing his mind in mid-sentence? Are there rules about when to use an ellipsis versus a dash or hyphen? "The rules" don't seem to really apply to dialogue in the same ways, since people rarely talking according to The Rules.
[This message has been edited by TheoPhileo (edited April 13, 2004).]
Posted by FiveSides (Member # 1988) on :
I tend to see words such as "I" repeated(or the first word of the sentence that's conflicting). [First word] pause [first word] another pause depending on character, followed by first word [quick, sometimes confusing sentence]
[simpathy, pity, disgust]
~James that's all folks!
[This message has been edited by FiveSides (edited April 13, 2004).]
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
It depends on the POV. How does the POV character feel about the stuttering, and the stutterer?
Posted by FiveSides (Member # 1988) on :
shouldn't you be asleep?
Anyway, your right. There really are no rules. Just a writers style.
~James bow and be forgiven
Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :
If you haven't read it, "It" shows how Stephen King dealt with this issue, which worked fairly well if you ask me. I also reckon its a good book and worth reading, although others disagree...
Posted by danquixote (Member # 1949) on :
I think that the main issue here is, you can establish your own technique as long as you consistantly apply it. It's the same as writing colloquial speech - it works best it's consistantly applied.