Writing pet peeve
Mar. 27th, 2008 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrDialogue. When writing dialogue, start a new line for a different speaker, and keep the actions properly seperated. It is horribly fucking confusing when people do this:
"Did you do that?" Kevin narrowed his eyes and glared at the speaker, more than a little annoyed by the snotty tone.
"Of course I did it," he snapped. Peter stalked across the room to loom over him in that damnable way of his.
"I did't think you had enough brains for it."
Do you see how aggravating that is? Peter is speaking lines 1 & 3, Kevin speaks part 2, but Kevin is described with line one, and Peter is described with line two. To my mind, it should look more like:
"Did you do that?"
Kevin narrowed his eyes and glared at the speaker, more than a little annoyed by the snotty tone. "Of course I did it," he snapped.
"I did't think you had enough brains for it," Peter said as he stalked across the room to loom over him in that damnable way of his.
Maybe I'm the one with the misconception, maybe I'm the one totally in the wrong, and by all means correct me if I am. Maybe it's just a stylistic thing and I don't like the style. But it seems to me that you should match everything up. I have so many ebooks that do the same thing, so maybe it really is me.
Still, I find it aggravating.
"Did you do that?" Kevin narrowed his eyes and glared at the speaker, more than a little annoyed by the snotty tone.
"Of course I did it," he snapped. Peter stalked across the room to loom over him in that damnable way of his.
"I did't think you had enough brains for it."
Do you see how aggravating that is? Peter is speaking lines 1 & 3, Kevin speaks part 2, but Kevin is described with line one, and Peter is described with line two. To my mind, it should look more like:
"Did you do that?"
Kevin narrowed his eyes and glared at the speaker, more than a little annoyed by the snotty tone. "Of course I did it," he snapped.
"I did't think you had enough brains for it," Peter said as he stalked across the room to loom over him in that damnable way of his.
Maybe I'm the one with the misconception, maybe I'm the one totally in the wrong, and by all means correct me if I am. Maybe it's just a stylistic thing and I don't like the style. But it seems to me that you should match everything up. I have so many ebooks that do the same thing, so maybe it really is me.
Still, I find it aggravating.
