Reader/Writer question:
How do you write/enjoy accents and dialects in your books?
Do you just mention that there is a dialect or do you write it out? And which do you prefer a a reader? 🤔
@NickEast@writers@writingcommunity@writing@reading@bookstodon I like reading dialects, but not mere accents or stuttering or any speech impediment. A dialect feels distinct enough to warrant a different way of writing; the others just make reading harder without much gain.
I prefer verbal ticks or phrases. So one of my characters said "'k'n'" - expressed as more of a tick than anything else. It might locate them for some people, but not for others.
I put a high value on readability, phonetic spelling of everything is annoying.
Conversely, people just don't speak the same. Class, locality, important in Victorian times.
So i use signs lightly. in the WIP Mrs Bradshaw uses a few Northumbrian dialect words, which are not translated but are clear in context. A few pronounciations are used, particularly when she is angry.
@NickEast@writers@writingcommunity@writing@reading@bookstodon I generally dislike spelled accents, to be honest. They usually feel hokey. "Ah can't feel mah bolls" isn't functionally any different from "I can't feel my balls," is harder to read, and ends up feeling like you think the colorful accent is more important than the meaning, which usually is a bad move. Exception: if the point is the accent is so strong it's now a dialect and the POV char can't understand them at all, 1/2
Dialect changes where the grammar is changed, not the spelling, are fine IMO, because then you're just reporting the words the speaker used. "Yarr, we be approaching land!" Changing that 'we be' to 'we are' might find you at the end of a cutlass, and rightly so.
@NickEast I merely describe accents. Perhaps remind the reader a few times during the story.
Dialect is fun and I try to add that consistently, as long as it's not too difficult, or gets annoying. I decide that on a reread of the story.
I like to try and give important characters their own voices, their own quirks and ways of speech. Sometimes, that means an accent, of a kind.
It's a dangerous balancing act though, and it will prolly alienate some readers. Right now, I'm writing about a group of street kids, and their slang is going to be something I have to edit profusely before I'm done.
As a writer, it feels genuine. As a reader, I'm not sure about it...
@NickEast@writingcommunity@bookstodon@writing@writers@reading i think the effect can be conveyed best by word choice and limited changes to traditional spelling. using the right words is great , but the more you spell things like “shore nuff” the harder it is to read (and at least to me it seems more stereotypical)