rionaleonhart: final fantasy x-2: the sun is rising, yuna looks to the future. (guess it's my lucky number)
Riona ([personal profile] rionaleonhart) wrote2009-04-24 06:44 pm

I Want To See The Zoo, She Said, I Want To See The Zoo.

WHILST I'M BEING INSECURE ABOUT MY WRITING: for as long as I can remember, I have used "double quotation marks" for speech in fiction and 'single quotation marks' for all other purposes. No style guide will recommend this: in British publishing convention, single quotes are used for all purposes, including speech, with speech within speech the only context in which double quotes are used; in American publishing convention, the situation is reversed. Does this inconsistency bother you? (Alternative question: do you have similar stylistic quirks?) I just think there's something quite nice about drawing a visual distinction between speaking and 'setting a phrase aside'. If there are two different types of quotation mark, why not put them to use?


Regarding Supernatural: I rewatched 'Fresh Blood' a little while ago, and it reminded me of how awesome Bela can be. I love that she actually seems surprised and a little upset that Dean is so angry with her for telling a murderous madman where to find them. HONESTLY, DEAN, YOU'RE SO OVERSENSITIVE. And then she helps them track him down, because, hey, she didn't know Dean was going to be so unreasonable about the whole thing. I love her.

HERE IS SOMETHING I WOULD LOVE TO SEE: a rewritten Twilight, with Bela in the role of Bella. Edward may be ridiculously strong and fast, but if he can't hear Bela's thoughts he's doomed. She will seduce him, use him shamelessly and then run off with his sister to form an amazing con artist duo. It would be pretty great. And at least Bela's unsympathetic aspects are intentional, unlike those of Bella 'Stupid Unattractive Humans With Their Stupid Being Nice To Me' Swan.

(Jo is welcome to join Bela and Alice in their con-artistry.)

(Also, Ruby can flit between the three of them, although I have not yet decided whether she would assist with the cons or whether she would ruin them for her own amusement by possessing the team members at inopportune moments.)

[identity profile] apiphile.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Oho, no, they notice. At least two of my friends are professional editors and they BLOODY WELL NOTICE. And with such *language* it makes me cower. I fire your own advice right back at you. I also am tempted to get up and go and look in The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television (or is that 'The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television'?) to see what That Nice Prof Pinker does.

[identity profile] apiphile.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooh, editing for whom?

I AM JEALOUS. I want that book, and now I have no idea of the ethics of buying anything from Amazon any more. :S

[identity profile] apiphile.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
APPROPRIATE ICON IS APPROPRIATE.

[identity profile] apiphile.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 08:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I recommend this to everyone, but seriously listen to the Reith Lectures by Dr Ramachandran on neuology, he has a whole section on the evolution of language which is just fucking fascinating - or read his book. >:) LANGUAGE SQUEE.

Do you know [livejournal.com profile] jeebus_uc, btw? She's studying linguistics at Leeds and terribly, terribly smart.