SimonDoom
Kink Lord
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2015
- Posts
- 19,117
This may seem like a pretty technical question. I use contractions often in my fiction. I do so in two cases in particular -- in place of "had" and in place of "not."
For example:
She didn't answer right away.
We'd always gone backpacking as a family.
I often use "wasn't" in place of "was not."
I think contractions lubricate the flow of the prose and often make things read better. It gives the writing a more casual feel, but enough very good writers write this way that I feel it's OK. I don't always use contractions. Sometimes I'll write "was not" instead of "wasn't."
My question: Are there any guidelines for when you use contractions and when you do not/don't? For me it's just a matter of feel. I use them to make things flow faster, but sometimes I do not use them to mix things up. What do others think?
For example:
She didn't answer right away.
We'd always gone backpacking as a family.
I often use "wasn't" in place of "was not."
I think contractions lubricate the flow of the prose and often make things read better. It gives the writing a more casual feel, but enough very good writers write this way that I feel it's OK. I don't always use contractions. Sometimes I'll write "was not" instead of "wasn't."
My question: Are there any guidelines for when you use contractions and when you do not/don't? For me it's just a matter of feel. I use them to make things flow faster, but sometimes I do not use them to mix things up. What do others think?