Author: Carol

By Any Other Name
Mary or Trixie – It Makes a Difference

Parents put a great deal of thought into naming their newborn son or daughter, understanding that a name is often the very first thing a stranger learns about you. An offbeat name can make a child the target of bullying. Later on, a name that’s too cute can be off-putting to a potential employer.

You should give the same amount of attention to naming your characters—after all, they’re your literary babies.

Did you know that Charles Dickens considered naming Tiny Tim “Puny Pete”?

That Sherlock Holmes’ assistant was almost named “Ormond Sacker”?

That Scarlett O’Hara’s name was originally “Pansy”?

Names can act as shorthand between you and your readers, giving the reader clues about the character’s age, where they’re from, what era they’re from, and what image they want to present to the world.

For instance, what initial impressions would you have about a character whose name is Elizabeth, but she calls herself Betsy? Liz? Beth? Lizzie?

What are your first thoughts about a couple named Byron and Madeleine? How about Trey and Madison?

It may take a while to decide on the perfect names for your characters—and you may change them as the story evolves. But those small choices are among the most important you’ll make.

Out, Damned Spot!
Handling the He Said, She Said

“I’m ready to go now.” She said.
“Are you ready yet?” He asked.
“Let’s go!” He shouted.

This is a tricky situation for a lot of newbies. Which one gets a comma? Which one gets a period? Are “he” and “she” capitalized?

Think of it this way. She said isn’t a complete sentence. It needs to be connected to something, using a comma at the end of the dialogue and a lower-case he or she.

“I’m ready to go now,” she said.

Even if the bit of dialogue that comes before ends in a question mark or an exclamation point, He said isn’t a complete sentence. That’s still true if he’s shouting or asking or replying or whispering.

“Are you ready yet?” he asked.
“Let’s go!” he shouted.

What about the bit that comes before the dialogue?

Liz crossed the room, “I’m ready to go now.”  Yes or no?

What Liz is doing is a complete sentence, independent of the line of dialogue, so here, a period is correct.

Liz crossed the room. “I’m ready to go now.”

The Joy of Contractions: The Shorter, the Better

I’m sure anyone who’s given birth will readily tell you that contractions are no fun. But when you’re writing dialogue, embrace them!

The writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation wrote all of Commander Data’s dialogue without contractions because he was an android. His contraction-less speech was a small, subtle reminder that he wasn’t human, that there were things he couldn’t quite grasp. But in real life, few actual humans say I will do that or I am planning to go.

If you’ve got a little spare time, turn on a TV show or movie and listen to it with your eyes closed.

Let’s go!
I can’t believe you did that.
He’s really worried about her.

Unless your character, like Commander Data, has a reason for speaking in a stilted, unrelaxed way (if he’s an elderly professor, an alien, or someone who’s just beginning to learn English), you can’t go wrong using contractions. They’ll go a long way toward making your dialogue sound more natural.