On Jul 16, 2012, at 6:23 PM, Nat Russo wrote: > Hi Ray! (and countless other writers I know are out there...) > > It seems like for every bit of advice, there's a contrary opinion. I've > developed a habit of using italics to represent certain inner thoughts. Not > generic internalization, but thoughts expressed as dialog (or even > conversations that happen telepathically, for example). I've now started to > read blogs where editors get somewhat infuriated over aspiring writers who do > this. > > The other area in which I use italics is to highlight words that I've > invented. If, for example, I create an alien race that has a specific > (fictional) word that means "inner peace", or some other concept that can > only be expressed by a full sentence in English, then I will italicize the > invented word. > > I'm not particularly sure why I do either, other than to say that's what I've > seen done by the pros. But now I'm wondering if I did the right thing, or > if, like some editors say, it's the sure sign of an amateur. > > What's your take on italics?
Chicago Handbook of Style, or Strunk & White if the other is too big to plow through. Italics should be used sparingly. Most rookie writers overuse it for emphasis. I've used it for that, sparingly. If I've used it 50 times in 30 books I'll be surprised. You do use it for foreign words, that's classic style, and some writers use it for things like telepathy, which I do in my books. Others use it for clearly indicated internal dialogue within a character who's also the POV character so the reader doesn't get confused what the narrative voice is saying and what the character is thinking. Whatever you choose to do, go light on it. Best, R.E.F. ---- www.crydee.com Never attribute to malice what can satisfactorily be explained away by stupidity.
