Shouts
appear to scream
for ALL CAPS, but resist this format
overkill. Dialogue presented in capital letters is not only
rude, it's downright annoying.
When your characters feel the
urge to raise their voices, shut off the Caps Lock and let that simple exclamation point do its job.
EXAMPLE:
"JOE!" she shouted, easing up the stairs. "JOE, ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW OR I'M GOING HOME!"
CLEANED UP:
"Joe!" She eased up the stairs. "Joe, answer me right now or I'm going home!"
EXAMPLE:
The high-pitched voice shrilled, "I DARE YOU TO CROSS MY THRESHOLD AT THIS HOUR OF THE
NIGHT!"
CLEANED UP:
The high-pitched voice shrilled, "I dare you to cross my threshold at this hour of the night!"
EXAMPLE:
"SIT DOWN!" Thelma shouted, jumping up, wielding a rolling pin. "I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU! I'M NOT TALKING TO ANY OF YOU OVER THERE 'CAUSE YOU'LL NEVER GET IT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WAKE UP AND SEE YOUR UGLY FACES EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!"
CLEANED UP:
"Sit down!" Thelma jumped up, wielding a rolling pin. "I'm not talking to you! I'm not talking to any of you over there 'cause you'll never get it! You don't know what it's like to wake up and see your ugly faces every day of the week!"
OUR CURRENT
CONTEST
The
first chapter is
the beginning of the story, but it doesn't necessarily
have to begin at the beginning. Its purpose is to grab
the attention of the readers. By the time they reach the end of
it, they should be tripping over their fingers to get to the second
one. Have you begun in the right place?
No
live organism can
continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute
reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to
dream.
Hill
House, not sane, stood by
itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so
for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls
continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors
were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and
stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.