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When speaking, some contractions are interchangeable, should their use be different when writing? Such as... We're not vs. We aren't She's not vs. She isn't Does it matter to you as the reader? Is it better to let the person He,She, They stand alone?
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I try to use contractions sparingly in narrative but would tend to use the latter in both your examples. They seem more grammatically correct although I don't have cite for that. For dialogue, I tend to use what feels "right" for the character and type of conversation. More colloquial, I'd go with the former, more formal, the latter. But that's my sense of it and I'll be happy to have a grammar geek correct me.
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Rank: Thread Mediator
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I use them all the time because they make the words flow more smoothly, often making the writing seem conversational. And unless the tone you're going for is more formal, then doing away with contractions can make the prose come off as a bit stilted.
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I don't use many contractions in my prose; just a personal style preference. In dialogue, I think about a) how I would say it, and b) how I imagine the character would say it. It's usually pretty clear to me which is the most appropriate. My recommendation would be to not think about it too much; you'll notice if there is a break in flow when you read back later.
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Rank: Clever Gem
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 I'd never use them , they are scary!!!  RUNS SCREAMING!!!
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LadyX wrote:I use them all the time because they make the words flow more smoothly, often making the writing seem conversational. I like the "flow" idea. Narrative needs to flow and if contractions help that, then I'll use them. However, I also find that overuse of them interrupts that flow unless you're deliberately trying to make the narrative sound conversational (e.g. the framing device is that the story is being "told" to someone orally)
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I use them in dialogue in stories but prefer not to in the narrative. I don`t like that conversational quality in prose. It is a matter of preference and taste, I suppose, and the tone you wish to convey in what you have written.
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principessa wrote:I use them in dialogue in stories but prefer not to in the narrative. I don`t like that conversational quality in prose. It is a matter of preference and taste, I suppose, and the tone you wish to convey in what you have written. This. I try to build a poetic feeling in my prose, and the use of contractions is somewhat counter to this. In the end, your own style will dictate whether or not you should.
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lafayettemister wrote:When speaking, some contractions are interchangeable, should their use be different when writing? Such as...
We're not vs. We aren't
She's not vs. She isn't
Does it matter to you as the reader? Is it better to let the person He,She, They stand alone? God, this was not the topic I was expecting! hahahha I use them in dialogue quite a bit, if it's appropriate - they can give quite a different tone to different characters. I also find them useful in certain cases. eg: Instead of saying "She had had a bad time" I would say "She'd had a bad time" Just sounds less clunky... I suppose it just depends on my mood sometimes too.
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Like Mazza: this wasn't the type of contraction I was expecting!
I was thinking more of a tight pussy contracting round my finger, tongue or cock during orgasm, maybe that's just the way my mind works...
As to other type of contraction: yes I do use them: they help make the text flow better: in the way it would if speaking out loud...
Iain
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I tend to write conversationally, so use of contractions falls right in line with my style. BUt If I am doing technical writing, as I often must in my day job, I avoid them like the plague.
"There's only three tempos: slow, medium and fast. When you get between in the cracks, ain't nuthin' happenin'." Ben Webster
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I try to write the narrative without them (it's a learning process - I'm still working on my skills with only 11 stories published so far) In dialogue, I generally read it out loud and write what sounds 'right'. Most people speak using contractions. If it doesn't sound natural, it won't read that way, either.
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lafayettemister wrote:When speaking, some contractions are interchangeable, should their use be different when writing? Such as...
We're not vs. We aren't
She's not vs. She isn't
Does it matter to you as the reader? Is it better to let the person He,She, They stand alone? I think for me it depends on the dialect of the character speaking. The hard part is making the speech understandable.
 NymphWriter
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LadyX wrote:I use them all the time because they make the words flow more smoothly, often making the writing seem conversational. And unless the tone you're going for is more formal, then doing away with contractions can make the prose come off as a bit stilted. These are my views on it as well.
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LadyX wrote:I use them all the time because they make the words flow more smoothly, often making the writing seem conversational. And unless the tone you're going for is more formal, then doing away with contractions can make the prose come off as a bit stilted. Agree with Lady.
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DLizze wrote:I tend to write conversationally, so use of contractions falls right in line with my style. BUt If I am doing technical writing, as I often must in my day job, I avoid them like the plague. This. I will write for my audience. When I am speaking in public & formally, I avoid using them while I talk. As others have stated, outside of dialogue...I find when editing anything which doesn't end up inside a presentation or technical white paper - I remove all apostrophes I can find with the search tool. Here in the forum (or any forum which does not impinge my salary)...I could care less. And that probably shows too.
 The best thing you can do for your fellow,
next to rousing his conscience, is - not to give him things
to think about, but to wake things up that are in him...
to make him think things for himself - George MacDonald
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...only worry when they are less than five minutes apart ;-)
"If you knew what you were doing you would probably be bored."
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