I use the rules for UK English vs. US English. In dialog the vocabulary must match the character (Harry Potter would use "boot" and may have "ou"s); the non-dialog parts of the story should match the writer IMO. Unless the writer is writing for a specific audience, which most fan fic writers are not.
Another place I like to (try to) enforce these rules is in dialog between characters who are specialists. Two police officers in the US would never say to each other "He picked up his shell casings"; but instead would say "He policed his brass". Of course then you may have to explain the jargon to the reader, but I prefer that to making the character sound stupid.
Thank you - this was very interesting! English, as a whole, is such a bastard, but it's good to have input on writing from people who can make some of the rules/usages seem clearer.
I too like to make my characters seem 'real' but sometimes the jargon is just unknown, so I do it where I can, but revert to my Kiwi grammar and usage lessons from school to write the bulk of my stories.
I'm in the Descriptive camp, and liberally use LOLz, FTWs, emoticons, exclam!notation and other LJ jargon when socializing with my FList.
When I'm writing a story in 3rd person omniscient, I tend to use prim-and-proper English, because I love the way it contrasts with informal & colloquial dialog within a story.
I've also been experimenting with American & UK English between 2 characters in alternating 1st person narratives within one story.
Language is such a wonderfully plastic medium to creatively mess around with! At the end of the day, it's all about CLARITY for me. Most of the time, grammatical rules dispel confusion, but once in a blue moon they get in the way, and it's cool that there are so many people in this community who love to discuss all those nuances! :-)
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I use the rules for UK English vs. US English. In dialog the vocabulary must match the character (Harry Potter would use "boot" and may have "ou"s); the non-dialog parts of the story should match the writer IMO. Unless the writer is writing for a specific audience, which most fan fic writers are not.
Another place I like to (try to) enforce these rules is in dialog between characters who are specialists. Two police officers in the US would never say to each other "He picked up his shell casings"; but instead would say "He policed his brass". Of course then you may have to explain the jargon to the reader, but I prefer that to making the character sound stupid.
Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed your essay!
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I too like to make my characters seem 'real' but sometimes the jargon is just unknown, so I do it where I can, but revert to my Kiwi grammar and usage lessons from school to write the bulk of my stories.
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In so many ways. :-) Thanks!
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Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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I'm in the Descriptive camp, and liberally use LOLz, FTWs, emoticons, exclam!notation and other LJ jargon when socializing with my FList.
When I'm writing a story in 3rd person omniscient, I tend to use prim-and-proper English, because I love the way it contrasts with informal & colloquial dialog within a story.
I've also been experimenting with American & UK English between 2 characters in alternating 1st person narratives within one story.
Language is such a wonderfully plastic medium to creatively mess around with! At the end of the day, it's all about CLARITY for me. Most of the time, grammatical rules dispel confusion, but once in a blue moon they get in the way, and it's cool that there are so many people in this community who love to discuss all those nuances! :-)
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