Question about Quotation Marks

[regularguy13]

Hello, Thanks in advance.

I have a question. Normally, when I have someone tell a story in my story and they tell us what someone said, I put their words in double quotations*marks and the person's words in single quotations.* For example:

"Here's what happened," Jane said. "Charlie ran into the burning building shouting, 'Tim! Tim! Where are you?'"


In a story I'm working on a character is telling a long tale. I'm getting tired of all the quotations marks. Quotations marks at the beginning of every paragraph. Can I just say,

"Here's the story," Ben said and he proceeded to tell it.

Can I just treat him and everyone as regular characters*and double quote when they speak, but not put quotations*marks around every paragraph? And single marks when we're told what someone said.

Thanks, r

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Somebody is no doubt about to quote chapter and verse from the Chicago Manual or somesuch. That's all good, but IMO, it's your story. Provided it makes sense and is easy to read, do what you please.

 

[Athalia]

I wrestled with this problem with a story called "The Dorm Mother" and ended up using the "open double quote" on every paragraph.

https://www.literotica.com/s/the-dorm-mother

But the only reason this was successful was that there was no dialog while the narrator was telling the story. Otherwise, I'd have probably written it as follows:

The room fell silent. Alice took a sip of her wine, paused for a moment to put her recollections in order, and then told us this story, as best I can recollect her words:

The following row of asterisk would, I think, give notice to the reader of the change in speakers.

Alice's story is complete at the second row of asterisks, at which time the first narrator mentions her by name to signal the change in narration. The first narrator concludes the story.

Done that way, I think you could dispense with all those double quotes. The main concern is that the reader be clear about who is talking, and when.

 

[regularguy13]

Thanks.

I'll use ellipses to set the story in a story apart from the story.


moderator I got what I needed. r

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Thanks.

I'll use ellipses to set the story in a story apart from the story.


moderator I got what I needed. r

Or you could just have the person who told the story present.

"I heard this one from Jim. Hey, Jim, why don't you tell it," I said.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Thanks.

I'll use ellipses to set the story in a story apart from the story.


moderator I got what I needed. r

If the sub-story is lengthy, I'd probably separate it with section breaks.

* * * *

And clear transitions so the reader knows it's being told, and when the telling stops.

If it's only a couple of paragraphs, I'd punctuate it the traditional way with leading quotation marks and end marks on conclusion.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

I did exactly what you were originally talking about in the Journey series (see link to my stories in my signature). I used double quotes (") at the beginning of each paragraph and no closing double quote until the end of the narration. If the narrator had another character speak, I used single quotes (') to delineate the character's speech.

It really wasn't that difficult and I'm pretty sure most people who read it picked up on how that worked. At least, none of the comments I got related to an issue with following the narrations.

Ultimately, it is going to come down to what you want to do and whether people can follow the narrator.

James

 

[SimonDoom]

As long as it's clear, go ahead and ftv dispense with the quotation marks.

 

[Handley_Page]

Hello, Thanks in advance.

I have a question. Normally, when I have someone tell a story in my story and they tell us what someone said, I put their words in double quotations*marks and the person's words in single quotations.* For example:

"Here's what happened," Jane said. "Charlie ran into the burning building shouting, 'Tim! Tim! Where are you?'"


In a story I'm working on a character is telling a long tale. I'm getting tired of all the quotations marks. Quotations marks at the beginning of every paragraph. Can I just say,

"Here's the story," Ben said and he proceeded to tell it.

Can I just treat him and everyone as regular characters*and double quote when they speak, but not put quotations*marks around every paragraph? And single marks when we're told what someone said.

Thanks, r

I put quote marks at the start of each paragraph of spoken word.

 

[sbrooks103]

Hello, Thanks in advance.

I have a question. Normally, when I have someone tell a story in my story and they tell us what someone said, I put their words in double quotations*marks and the person's words in single quotations.* For example:

"Here's what happened," Jane said. "Charlie ran into the burning building shouting, 'Tim! Tim! Where are you?'"


In a story I'm working on a character is telling a long tale. I'm getting tired of all the quotations marks. Quotations marks at the beginning of every paragraph. Can I just say,

"Here's the story," Ben said and he proceeded to tell it.

Can I just treat him and everyone as regular characters*and double quote when they speak, but not put quotations*marks around every paragraph? And single marks when we're told what someone said.

Thanks, r

If you want to do it correctly, then you are doing it right.

The only thing to remember, is if the quoted speaker goes to a second paragraph, you DON'T close quote until the last paragraph, and you open quote every paragraph.

I know it can seem messy if Speaker B goes onto a second paragraph, then you have to open both the double and single quotes. If Speaker B ends with the second paragraph, but Speaker A continues, use a single quote at the end of the second paragraph, and an open double quote on the third paragraph.

Those are the rules of English grammar, there's no "Grammar Police" to haul you in if you break them, but you WILL run afoul of some Grammar Nazis.

If you MUST ignore the rules, at least be consistent, and follow whatever convention your using for the entire story.

 

[JamesMiehoff]

The main thing is to be consistent within your story. Don't mix methods. Most readers can figure it out if you are consistent.

James

PS: There is a monograph here called "How to make characters talk". it is in the Writer's Resources section https://www.literotica.com/storyxs/writ_stor.shtml

There are also a lot of other useful and humorous essays there as well.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

Feels similar to entering and exiting a flashback. Give the reader a clear marker about the transition into and out of it and you should be fine. There may be a "best practice" when it comes to how to do this, but I don't believe there's a one-size-fits-all answer for fiction writing. (If I'm wrong, I know someone will correct me.)

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Just to make things more confusing, I just saw a novel with a totally different system. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, pub 2011 by Penguin Books/

There are no quotation marks of any kind. Instead, Towles used hyphens, as in:

I decided to give her a buzz.

- Can you meet for lunch?

- Where are you calling from? she whispered instinctively.

- A phone booth in the Village.​

It looks weird, but works. No idea how subquotes would work, though.

Towles also did an entire chapter in italics, I think as a flashback.

FWIW.

 

[Bramblethorn]

Just to make things more confusing, I just saw a novel with a totally different system. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, pub 2011 by Penguin Books/

There are no quotation marks of any kind. Instead, Towles used hyphens, as in:

I decided to give her a buzz.

- Can you meet for lunch?

- Where are you calling from? she whispered instinctively.

- A phone booth in the Village.​

It looks weird, but works. No idea how subquotes would work, though.

Towles also did an entire chapter in italics, I think as a flashback.

FWIW.

IIRC, "Cry The Beloved Country" also used that style. I found it weird and jarring at first, but I got used to it eventually.

 

[sbrooks103]

Quotes within quotes

I don't argue; I know you are correct concerning the quotation marks. However, my sections of monologue were that long, that I conveniently considered them as a story within a story, and pretended there to be different rules for those.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, as it was my own story, but I can't remember which one, where I had a Speaker A relating something that involved quoting others, and it was a bit of a mess.

I think I got around it by saying something like, "Speaker A told me what happened," followed by:

John said, "Blah, blah blah."

Jane was really angry, and replied, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Until Speaker A finished telling what happened.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

If I quote a character wkth a character, I just use like single quotes or whatever.

"So he said, 'well blah, blah blah', ya know?"

 

[ElectricBlue]

IIRC, "Cry The Beloved Country" also used that style. I found it weird and jarring at first, but I got used to it eventually.

I think you're right about "Cry..."

It's interesting to note that in the later "A Gentleman in Moscow" Towles reverts to traditional punctuation, which is less obtrusive and less contrived.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

If I quote a character wkth a character, I just use like single quotes or whatever.

"So he said, 'well blah, blah blah', ya know?"

And it works and it’s clear enough. Good with it, personally.