How to punctuate dialogue

[SimonDoom]

I just found this online article, and it does a great job covering how to punctuate dialogue in a relatively short space. It also uses examples from famous authors, lending it more credibility. It's concise, clear, and helpful.

https://editorsmanual.com/articles/punctuate-dialogue/

 

[joy_of_cooking]

How do people feel about quoting multiple paragraphs of speech?

I know the rule, but I worry my readers won't. I've tended to add additional tags on subsequent paragraphs instead.

Maybe I have too low an opinion of my readers' literacy?

 

[onehitwanda]

How do people feel about quoting multiple paragraphs of speech?

I know the rule, but I worry my readers won't. I've tended to add additional tags on subsequent paragraphs instead.

Maybe I have too low an opinion of my readers' literacy?

I'd tend to put it in italics as the least invasive method of differentiating it.

 

[lavendersilk]

"Joy, do you mean when you are having someone talk for so long that you have to make a break?

"Yeah, that's tough."

 

[Candy_Kane54]

When one of your characters is telling a story, it may be long enough to justify paragraphs.

 

[SimonDoom]

How do people feel about quoting multiple paragraphs of speech?

I know the rule, but I worry my readers won't. I've tended to add additional tags on subsequent paragraphs instead.

Maybe I have too low an opinion of my readers' literacy?

Grammatically, it's fine, but I'd be cautious about doing it for the more practical reason that long speeches might be off-putting. There are plenty of workarounds. Like, for example, inserting a quick bit of narration between the two paragraphs to break things up.

"The killer is in this room," Detective Harpy said. "This is how I know. Blah Blah Blah."

The detective paused and looked everyone in the eye.

"As I was saying, blah blah blah."

 

[SimonDoom]

I'd tend to put it in italics as the least invasive method of differentiating it.

I can't figure out what you are recommending here.

 

[onehitwanda]

I can't figure out what you are recommending here.

Frankly, I think I've hurt myself in my confusion.

 

[SimonDoom]

Frankly, I think I've hurt myself in my confusion.

It's not just me, then. I would not have been surprised if it HAD been just me, because I'm easily confused.

 

[TheRedChamber]

If we're talking about the whole thing of not putting an ending quote mark at the end of a paragraph where the intention is for the character to continue speaking in the next paragraph - it's a classical example of 'I'm fully aware of what the rule is but I'm not following it under any situation where I have editorial control because I just don't like it.'

That said - in fiction, yeah, don't have characters babble on for more than a paragraph without another character doing something, even if it's just yawning...

 

[lavendersilk]

That said - in fiction, yeah, don't have characters babble on for more than a paragraph without another character doing somethign, even if it's just yawning...

Would they be yawning because of how long the other person is talking?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Would they be yawning because of how long the other person is talking?

Err, yeah, that was kind of my point. But even if the speaker is giving the most inspirational, most important speech of his life, he can still look around and see how rapt everyone is before continuing.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I am using quotes for dialogue, quotes+italics for inner thoughts, and just italics or bold for emphasis. I would need a pretty darn good reason to switch to some other system and thus risk angering millions upon millions of my faithful readers.
Laziness is the real reason.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I shall read, absorb, and ponder this article when I find the time.

I just found this online article, and it does a great job covering how to punctuate dialogue in a relatively short space. It also uses examples from famous authors, lending it more credibility. It's concise, clear, and helpful.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

If we're talking about the whole thing of not putting an ending quote mark at the end of a paragraph where the intention is for the character to continue speaking in the next paragraph - it's a classical example of 'I'm fully aware of what the rule is but I'm not following it under any situation where I have editorial control because I just don't like it.'

That said - in fiction, yeah, don't have characters babble on for more than a paragraph without another character doing something, even if it's just yawning...

Yep, that's pretty much where I landed.

 

[burgwad]

I'm a playful git, so feel free to ignore me while I proclaim my interest in compound punctuation, especially when characters are interrupted mid-sentence or else trail off in the middle of a question.

"Wait, are you seriously--?!"​

"I mean, if you want to . . . ?"​

"But, Dad--!"​

I also like using periods in place of question marks when characters are "asking" something only rhetorically, unenthusiastically, or disdainfully.

"Well, well, what do we have here."​

"Hi welcome to Arby's how can I help you." (N.B., commas omitted to connote robotic, pauseless speech.)​

"Gee, how will I ever repay you."​

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

What is Pun Cu A Shun?

 

[Trionyx]

Unless it is someone orating about something, we seldom speak in conversation long enough to warrant multiple paragraphs. It is easier to read and closer to reality to have a back and forth between/among the characters. Tags or the use of obvious identifiers in the individual's speech makes it much easier to track who is talking.

 

[Bramblethorn]

How do people feel about quoting multiple paragraphs of speech?

I know the rule, but I worry my readers won't. I've tended to add additional tags on subsequent paragraphs instead.

Maybe I have too low an opinion of my readers' literacy?

I generally avoid the situation, but on one occasion where I did it (and followed the rule) I had complaints from a reader who reckoned I'd done it wrong.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Paragraph after paragraph of one long quote loses the reader. Either break it up with action or reaction or make a flashback told between **** ... ****. The no quotes on the narrator, and regular quotes for speech between him and others. Then, back to third person.

That's the way I do it, and we all know Millie knows best.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm a playful git, so feel free to ignore me while I proclaim my interest in compound punctuation, especially when characters are interrupted mid-sentence or else trail off in the middle of a question.

"Wait, are you seriously--?!"​

"I mean, if you want to . . . ?"​

"But, Dad--!"​

I also like using periods in place of question marks when characters are "asking" something only rhetorically, unenthusiastically, or disdainfully.

"Well, well, what do we have here."​

"Hi welcome to Arby's how can I help you." (N.B., commas omitted to connote robotic, pauseless speech.)​

"Gee, how will I ever repay you."​

I'd read the former as trying to be too clever, or not knowing how to punctuate dialogue.

I'd read the latter as not knowing how to punctuate, full stop.

My mileage obviously differs. I think there are conventions for a reason, so why draw attention to something that might indicate you don't know what you're doing?

 

[Britva415]

What is Pun Cu A Shun?

Secret Chinese martial art.

You can't learn it from no book anyways, so, nothing to worry about.

 

[SimonDoom]

Paragraph after paragraph of one long quote loses the reader. Either break it up with action or reaction or make a flashback told between **** ... ****. The no quotes on the narrator, and regular quotes for speech between him and others. Then, back to third person.

That's the way I do it, and we all know Millie knows best.

She wouldn't say it if it weren't so.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I generally avoid the situation, but on one occasion where I did it (and followed the rule) I had complaints from a reader who reckoned I'd done it wrong.

Yep, that's what I'm afraid of.

 

[burgwad]

I'd read the former as trying to be too clever, or not knowing how to punctuate dialogue.

I'd read the latter as not knowing how to punctuate, full stop.

My mileage obviously differs. I think there are conventions for a reason, so why draw attention to something that might indicate you don't know what you're doing?

Okay, right, but now humor me for a second!

Let's say I'm thinking of writing: "But, Dad--!"

Alternately, I could write:

"But, Dad!"

Or: "But Dad!"

Or: "But Dad--"

Or: "But, Dad--"

You'll hopefully appreciate that none of these breaks convention, and each one achieves something a little bit different--indeed, not in spite of but thanks to conventions! You could also argue that one is the "correct" way ("But Dad!" right?), but then we'd be talking norms, not conventions. And that shit gets stale fast. No thanks!

But so:

The comma adds a little crinkle of frustration, almost like a stomp or a scoff.
The exclamation point conveys urgency!
The em dash lets us know the speaker was--

No comma makes the speaker sound more confident or indignant.
No exclamation point loses the emotional intensity.
No em dash eliminates the sense of an interruption.

Combining the comma and the em dash and the exclamation mark lets us know that the character was interrupted in the middle of frustratedly communicating their emotions. I could also put all of this into dialog tags or what-have-you, but then this isn't a thread about dialog tags. I really do utilize punctuation like this in my dialog, and while my work gets plenty of well-deserved criticism, I have mostly ever heard that my dialog feels weighty and snappy.

I write unconventionally on both purpose and accident. Sometimes, there is genuine (if misspent) energy going into these little decisions I am making at the level of the comma. Other times . . well, I just write unconventionally. It's not ideal, no, but my only other option is not to write. I hope you'd agree that is no option at all.

Finally, let me admit the obvious: I'm sore from a recent drubbing one of my most experimental pieces ever is in the midst of receiving. I'm processing this grief. But still, I hope I've made a coherent point here. I like and respect you, eb. You make good comments.