Celtic
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Apologies Lois: a miserable failure on trying to be helpful! I thought the ellipses at the end of the first sentence were odd - maybe a missing word? - and had difficulty with the second sentence but, if you're happy, then that's OK. Thanks for the polite reply to my misguided efforts.
Lois McMaster Bujold
Original question was here, for the confused: https://www.goodreads.com/questions/2...
(It's always best to put comments on a question in its attendant comment space, or they'll be separated.)
The ellipsis was, as is usual in my and much fiction, and indicator of a trailing off without completion, or a pause in either a speaker's speech or thought-stream, so I don't have to keep putting the clarifying interruptions in stage business -- "Yadda, hadda," he hesitated, "yadda." The hesitations can be for lots of reasons, usually for the speaker/thinker to select the right word, sometimes to read the room, other things in context.
In formal essay and report writing, ellipses are also used to indicate words edited out of material in a quotation -- Yadda yadda ... yadda. Where the missing bits can be either a few words or many sentences.
The first use is more in the nature of a stage direction. The second use is scholarly etiquette. If you've been trained in essay writing, it might be easy to conflate or confuse the two very different functions of this handy punctuation device.
As another general rule of how people read, if something in the writing has confused or discombobulated readers, they are more likely to stumble over whatever comes next, being already dizzied -- even if it's perfectly fine, because their flow-of-attention will be divided between that and whatever they're still chewing over. Sort of a knock-on effect. Which also happens at more macro levels than just sentences, alas.
Ta, L.
(It's always best to put comments on a question in its attendant comment space, or they'll be separated.)
The ellipsis was, as is usual in my and much fiction, and indicator of a trailing off without completion, or a pause in either a speaker's speech or thought-stream, so I don't have to keep putting the clarifying interruptions in stage business -- "Yadda, hadda," he hesitated, "yadda." The hesitations can be for lots of reasons, usually for the speaker/thinker to select the right word, sometimes to read the room, other things in context.
In formal essay and report writing, ellipses are also used to indicate words edited out of material in a quotation -- Yadda yadda ... yadda. Where the missing bits can be either a few words or many sentences.
The first use is more in the nature of a stage direction. The second use is scholarly etiquette. If you've been trained in essay writing, it might be easy to conflate or confuse the two very different functions of this handy punctuation device.
As another general rule of how people read, if something in the writing has confused or discombobulated readers, they are more likely to stumble over whatever comes next, being already dizzied -- even if it's perfectly fine, because their flow-of-attention will be divided between that and whatever they're still chewing over. Sort of a knock-on effect. Which also happens at more macro levels than just sentences, alas.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Daoud M
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
What message or emotion do you hope readers take away from your books after finishing it?
Gard Evyr
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Lois what is it about the midwest region like Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc. that produces so many of the top writers (serious, non quipy question)? From you, to Rothfuss(Wisconsin), Scott Lynch(Minnesota), Brent Weeks(Montana), NK Jemison(Iowa), Brandon Sanderson (Nebraska), etc. But in particular Minnesota/Wisconsin often seems like some sort of hotspot. Is there some particularly strong writing culture there or what?
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Mar 11, 2022 05:09PM · flag
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Mar 11, 2022 05:48PM · flag