Reading today’s journal topic, Writing Dialect, left me chuckling. Not because it was imbued with humor, but it’s taken almost a full year to give myself permission to use contractions in my writing.
Like they say old habits die hard. After over twenty years of academic writing with its strict proscriptions against contractions I’m finding a refreshing sense of freedom.
Gosh, maybe as I use dialect more I’ll see if it feels just a freeing as using those dreaded contractions.
As an old friend would say if she were still with us – I’ll be standing in high cotton.
I’ve wondered about this topic, particularly the parts you’ve mentioned about “missing” words when writing dialect. It can be easy to miss words for sure especially when you are flying through the story. Cycling certainly helps. Never thought about find/replace. Looking forward to part 2 👍
Reading today’s journal topic, Writing Dialect, left me chuckling. Not because it was imbued with humor, but it’s taken almost a full year to give myself permission to use contractions in my writing.
Like they say old habits die hard. After over twenty years of academic writing with its strict proscriptions against contractions I’m finding a refreshing sense of freedom.
Gosh, maybe as I use dialect more I’ll see if it feels just a freeing as using those dreaded contractions.
As an old friend would say if she were still with us – I’ll be standing in high cotton.
Yep, it's a whole new world letting the characters speak the way they speak and letting them tell the story they're living. Who knew?
I’ve wondered about this topic, particularly the parts you’ve mentioned about “missing” words when writing dialect. It can be easy to miss words for sure especially when you are flying through the story. Cycling certainly helps. Never thought about find/replace. Looking forward to part 2 👍
Thanks, Ed. Yep, Find & Replace is easily among my favorite tools in Word. You can find a longer treatise on that function at https://harveystanbrough.com/pro-writers/word-5/.
Great. I’ll check it out!