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Post by Butterscotch on Apr 18, 2011 13:57:49 GMT -5
Is writing out a character's accent ever a good idea? I know that it can sometimes be distracting when you're trying to figure out just what a character said. On the other hand, it can add a sort of flavor to the writing, really helping get the voice of the character right.
I'm working on a one-shot for another fandom (not HM, I'll finish Dream yet though) and two of the characters have strong Southern accents and I don't know what the happy medium would be. I read a fic earlier that had one character's accent so heavily written that I could barely understand what he was supposed to be saying.
The two in particular have a tendency to drop consonants at the end of words. Sayin' instead of staying, an' instead of and. Would that be too much, or should I assume that a reader is knowledgeable enough about the series to sort of hear the accent even if it's not written out.
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Post by Simfarmguru on Apr 18, 2011 15:06:39 GMT -5
Mmmm...when done to a minimum, it adds to the flavor, in my opinion.
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Post by Mage the Observer on Apr 18, 2011 21:09:12 GMT -5
It's necessary if you want to create a character with a certain level of breeding and education. Specifically, one that's deficient in both regards. Still, I'd save that sort of trickery for the advanced dialogue classes. Like any of the so-called 'rules of grammar,' you need to have a pretty damn thorough understanding of the rule before you can break it without looking stupid.
I wouldn't try it, but dialogue doesn't come naturally to me. If you think you can pull it off, you're certainly welcome to.
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