Originally posted by Feast of the Muse
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Grammar / Spelling / Punctuation Discussion and Appreciation (questions welcome!)
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Sum, ergo scribo...
(Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
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Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.
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My Chicago Manual of Style doesn't address this and my AP Stylebook is for writing articles, not fiction, so i'ts no help.
With a third-person omniscient narrator, would characters be referred to by their first name or last name? For instance, Jack O'Neil and John Sheppard are referred to by fans and the characters by first name usually while Richard Woolsey and George Hammond both fans and character tend to refer to last name.
When would it make more sense in the narrative to use a first name and when would it make more sense to you a last name when mentioning characters?Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?
Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.
All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.
Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris
I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.
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Originally posted by WraithRichard View PostWith a third-person omniscient narrator, would characters be referred to by their first name or last name? For instance, Jack O'Neil and John Sheppard are referred to by fans and the characters by first name usually while Richard Woolsey and George Hammond both fans and character tend to refer to last name.
When would it make more sense in the narrative to use a first name and when would it make more sense to you a last name when mentioning characters?[/QUOTE]Sum, ergo scribo...
(Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
sigpic
now also appearing on DeviantArt
Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.
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Originally posted by blazingfire View PostAdvice or advise?
I prefer to think the former as the noun and the latter as the verb, although some people prefer to use advise for everything:
Jack gave Daniel some advise. (for an example)
What's the correct form, by the way?
Daniel asked jack to advise him.
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Originally posted by WraithRichard View PostMy Chicago Manual of Style doesn't address this and my AP Stylebook is for writing articles, not fiction, so i'ts no help.
With a third-person omniscient narrator, would characters be referred to by their first name or last name? For instance, Jack O'Neil and John Sheppard are referred to by fans and the characters by first name usually while Richard Woolsey and George Hammond both fans and character tend to refer to last name.
When would it make more sense in the narrative to use a first name and when would it make more sense to you a last name when mentioning characters?
Personally, I call them by what the other characters do. When my character Sarah first meets Sam, she calls her either Doctor or Major, until they get to know each other and Sam asks her to call her Sam. After that point in the writing, she is referred to as Sam, instead of, for example, "Major Carter led them out of the room."
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Pssst... the past tense of lead is led.Sum, ergo scribo...
(Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
sigpic
now also appearing on DeviantArt
Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.
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i go with that
whomever's voice you're writing in, that's how you address the other characters.
teal'c calls sam captain/major/colonel carter, he calls jack o'neill, calls daniel daniel jackson, etc
even though you're omniscient, you're going to have characters speaking to each other, so you use the speaker's voice.
i think, when it's not from a person's specific POV, just keep it consistent. Don't see how many different ways you can refer to daniel in a single paragraph
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Originally posted by Feast of the Muse View PostTaking a stab at it here - as you say, there is no rule.
Personally, I call them by what the other characters do. When my character Sarah first meets Sam, she calls her either Doctor or Major, until they get to know each other and Sam asks her to call her Sam. After that point in the writing, she is referred to as Sam, instead of, for example, "Major Carter led them out of the room."Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?
Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.
All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.
Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris
I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.
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Originally posted by WraithRichard View PostThanks. My inner editor and my inner writer can sometimes confuse each other.
Also just saw this in my email:
Once the sunsets we are gone.
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More questions:
1. The sentence 'You've also been giving the guards a hard time getting here' sounds awkward and I think it will even if I add the word 'you.' How best should I write this?
2. The sentence 'The best off you have given me so far is...' should there be commas around 'so far'?
3. The sentence 'He was dressed differently than those on Atlantis, similar to Sheppard when he dressed causally.' Should that be 'similarly'?Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?
Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.
All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.
Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris
I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.
Comment
-
Originally posted by WraithRichard View PostMore questions:
1. The sentence 'You've also been giving the guards a hard time getting here' sounds awkward and I think it will even if I add the word 'you.' How best should I write this?
2. The sentence 'The best off you have given me so far is...' should there be commas around 'so far'?
3. The sentence 'He was dressed differently than those on Atlantis, similar to Sheppard when he dressed causally.' Should that be 'similarly'?Sum, ergo scribo...
(Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
sigpic
now also appearing on DeviantArt
Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.
Comment
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Originally posted by WraithRichard View Post1. The sentence 'You've also been giving the guards a hard time getting here' sounds awkward and I think it will even if I add the word 'you.' How best should I write this?
2. The sentence 'The best off you have given me so far is...' should there be commas around 'so far'?
2. "The best off you have given me so far is..." Is there a typo here? Because as it's written this doesn't make sense to me. Even "The best of you have given me..." doesn't make sense, unless it's an expression I'm unfamiliar with.
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Originally posted by SF_and_Coffee View PostI can't even find a place in that sentence for the word "you". However, I interpret the original sentence to mean, "You've been giving the guards a hard time while you've been getting here" or "You've been giving the guards a hard time at their own getting here". Which is closer to your intentions? If I know that, I can probably help you with its structure.
Originally posted by SF_and_Coffee View PostBefore addressing punctuation, I need to know what the sentence is intended to mean. "The best off" - what does that phrase mean? Are you sure it shouldn't be "The best of?"Price for Pain What do you mean violence isn't the answer?
Burn It All Away Blood moves the heavens. Fire purifies the land. Legends change worlds. Destiny burns.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Fiat justitia et pereat mundus. Fiat justitia ruat caelum.
All are PG-13, each with a single act of rated R violence. Adults situations and other, tamer violence.
Ficta voluptatis causa sint proxima veris
I'm creating a fan comic and I want input from as many fans as possible. Please PM me if you want the discord link. You can also chat, show off your own creations, and rp.
Comment
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Okay, so the guards have been trying to bring someone someplace and the person they have in custody has been fighting that? In that case, I really think "You've been giving the guards a hard time getting you here" works. It isn't fluid, but sometimes people do say awkward sentences, and this is dialogue. So the better question to ask yourself is, "Would the character say this?" If the answer is "yes", then I don't see a problem.
"The best offer you have given me so far is..." No commas. They'd only make it awkward.Sum, ergo scribo...
(Yes, I'm female. Okay?)
My own site ** FF.net * All That We Leave Behind * Symbiotica ** AO3
sigpic
now also appearing on DeviantArt
Explore Colonel Frank Cromwell's odyssey after falling through the Stargate in Season Two's A Matter of Time, and follow Jack's search for him. Significant Tok'ra supporting characters and a human culture drawn from the annals of history. Book One of the series By Honor Bound.
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