tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post8759847987107453167..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Busted—Authors Caught Exciting Emotion with Creative PunctuationDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-88408821467923462062014-05-07T05:09:09.806-06:002014-05-07T05:09:09.806-06:00I like playing with punctuation just to see how ma...I like playing with punctuation just to see how many different ways I can present the same picture/ moment in a story. My sister (who edits my work when it's not scary), disagrees. She prefers punctuation to remain exactly where they ought to belong and thinks creative punctuation is irritating misuse.Jovannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527057318505215010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-19366819303056867842014-05-03T18:11:56.842-06:002014-05-03T18:11:56.842-06:00Thanks for the book recommendation!!Thanks for the book recommendation!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-27218619147631617452014-05-02T14:21:59.669-06:002014-05-02T14:21:59.669-06:00Helen I agree! Regina is a lush writer. Helen I agree! Regina is a lush writer. Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-6455898036767849342014-05-02T14:02:02.391-06:002014-05-02T14:02:02.391-06:00I especially liked the quote from The Land of Wome...I especially liked the quote from The Land of Women. I love books that make you stop and re-read a paragraph because they are so well put together that you go back and read it again.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-43179816475795877352014-05-02T09:13:16.910-06:002014-05-02T09:13:16.910-06:00I left Trumbo's previous sentence about the ri...I left Trumbo's previous sentence about the river in for context: first the run-on, third-person narrative that evokes a long river, then the switch to experiential first-person and the panic that sets in when, even among short sentences, our POV character (and we) can't seem to catch breath. I agree, Linda, that it grows on you with further study.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-19820563167013418622014-05-02T09:08:15.072-06:002014-05-02T09:08:15.072-06:00Christopher, you speak for many, I'm sure of i...Christopher, you speak for many, I'm sure of it. Reading your work aloud can take you a long way toward correct use in creative writing. If you must pause so the reader can understand, you probably need a comma. (If the Style Maven is flinching as she reads this, I now leave a better explanation to you!)Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-31280591846217442982014-05-02T09:07:50.385-06:002014-05-02T09:07:50.385-06:00This post has set me to pondering, Kathryn. Old do...This post has set me to pondering, Kathryn. Old dogs, new tricks, etc. :-) <br /><br />I like the quote from Poe and think it accomplishes exactly what the author intended (at least from my 2014 perspective). <br /><br />The lack of internal punctuation in the example from Trumbo bothered me on first read. But upon perusing it a second time, I rethought my initial response. Sentences are traditionally separated by periods, but the absence of other punctuation gives the reader a sense of individual thoughts running together without pause created by nouns of address, etc., and then a tiny instant before the next thought. This creates a mood, a feeling that would not exist if all the "appropriate" commas were in place; and the scene becomes almost surreal. <br /><br />McBride has combined the senses with punctuation to pull the reader into the scene—and quite successfully so, as the reader "feels" what the character is experiencing.<br /><br />When Lukeman states that punctuation points the way, he speaks a profound truth, reminding us as writers that we possess a powerful tool—punctuation marks—to create visuals on a par with videos and motion pictures. With different punctuation, all the above examples would read differently, and the reader's response would change accordingly.<br /><br />I really like this post, Kathryn. As a bit of a non-traditionalist myself (but also an editor who cringes when punctuation is blatantly mishandled), I do use those wonderful little marks creatively from time to time to achieve the desired response from the reader.<br />Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16056682992943171805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-68514762944733169492014-05-02T08:43:17.020-06:002014-05-02T08:43:17.020-06:00I'll never look at the lowly comma the same wa...I'll never look at the lowly comma the same way again, but then, I never looked at it the same way before. It's use, and misuse, has been a never ending mystery to me; from the first essay I ever wrote to my last tome. It's a love/hate thing I've got going here.Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-61251090264102861202014-05-02T08:10:11.601-06:002014-05-02T08:10:11.601-06:00Wow!—and I can't imagine them achieving what t...Wow!—and I can't imagine them achieving what they did without it! Just goes to show, folks—this is a subjective business. Different strokes for different folks! <br /><br />Diana your comment raises an interesting point, though, about working relationships. Stylistic differences are something important to consider in your choice of an independent editor, though. There would simply be no point in me hiring a "purist," who would waste her time ironing out all my creative punctuation, when it was an integral part of my vision. I did have agents reject me because of writing style. You have to know what you're going for, and find an editor who can support your vision.<br /><br />So if you've included something non-traditional in your manuscript, it's best to draw it to a prospective editor's attention before you part with your money.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-33012264876752126812014-05-02T07:36:59.782-06:002014-05-02T07:36:59.782-06:00An interesting observation, Kathryn. I tend to use...An interesting observation, Kathryn. I tend to use them in dialogue, as in narrative, to guide the reader. But, their slightly contentious nature can cause some readers irritation, I know.stuartaken.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05695584662320617659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-55414692071684225822014-05-02T07:25:29.570-06:002014-05-02T07:25:29.570-06:00Creative punctuation (and misuse) gives me headach...Creative punctuation (and misuse) gives me headaches and I think all of these examples would be stronger without them. But I'm a purist. :)Diana Hurwitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216220574149672733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-51818620596980145702014-05-02T06:27:55.374-06:002014-05-02T06:27:55.374-06:00Your use of punctuation bolstered the beauty of th...Your use of punctuation bolstered the beauty of the writing in this comment, Stuart. Preaching to the choir on the semi-colon; I find many wonderful uses for it. I'm not a fan of it in dialogue, though. Punctuation introduced for the purpose of pause length alone, as in dialogue, can be handled by other marks. Semi-colons are hard to "hear," yet are great for creating meaning.Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-969266221978327632014-05-02T00:56:32.968-06:002014-05-02T00:56:32.968-06:00Thank you Kathryn. Punctuation; the means of guidi...Thank you Kathryn. Punctuation; the means of guiding the reader to replicate the writer's intentions. And, here, I've used a punctuation mark unused in some English speaking communities and threatened by others. The semi colon; a middle strength pause falling between comma and colon and denoting a type of sub clause that follows from the preceding part of the sentence, is a part of it, yet which does not simply complete the thought but adds a slightly different dimension. Sorry, I've been writing poetry this morning and, as we all know, poetry uses or abuses punctuation according to the skill, design or, sometimes, ignorance, of its employer. Yes, punctuation, or its lack, can be substantially responsible for the mood of a piece of writing. <br />Thanks for an interesting and thought-provoking post.stuartaken.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05695584662320617659noreply@blogger.com