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

[rionaleonhart]

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.)

Comments

[justspaz.livejournal.com]

I've always been in the same way as you with quotations. There is something that just screams speech with "" and other with ''. However, I never actually notice in fiction, and didn't even know that was how quotes were done.

Because I am slow.

[rionaleonhart]

That's interesting, because I've noticed that most people who've said they use that mismatched system have been British. I don't know whether that's because Americans are less likely to be exposed to single quotes than British people are to be exposed to doubles or just because I have more British people than Americans on my flist.

[justspaz.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm secretly British. Or just an anomaly. Then again, I've read a lot of HP fanfic, most of it either written by British people or Brit-picked to look that way.

I will say that I've noticed my Sherlock Holmes collection uses "" for speech and '' for speech-within-speech, which might be because it was adapted in a more American-friendly way.

[rionaleonhart]

I think, although I can't be sure because I don't have it here, that my Holmes collection, which is an absolute replica of the original Strand short stories, may do the same thing. I think double quotes may have been the style in Britain until some point during the early twentieth century, perhaps.

[justspaz.livejournal.com]

Hmm. An interesting development. Language styles adapt so much though, that in ten years we will be like the Russians and use <<>> for quotes.

Or not.