on 9/2/01 1:57 PM, Elsa Bibat at aerolbj@i-next.net wrote:
[FFML] [FFML][Ranma] "Is Ranma-chan Hurt?"
First of all, the fanfiction syntax convention of
using <> to denote thoughts is bad writing. If you
want to be good writer, at least the sort of writer
that hack editors ask to write for them, get rid of
them and try to integrate the thoughts. I mean all
published writers can do it, all you have to do to
learn the trick is pick up a book.
As someone who's guilty of using angle brackets to denote thoughts, I feel I
have to say something here.
I have always used them in my fanfiction because I can't use italics.
And I HAVE seen published authors use italics to represent the thoughts of
characters, so I'm assuming the fanfiction use of angle brackets evolved to
replace the use of italics (that can't be used in plain text).
So I don't know what published authors you've read, but I have seen italics
used in a number of different works to denote thoughts (various titles, many
sci-fi, David Brin comes to mind, but I might be mis-remembering which
authors use them).
Just as I use double returns between paragraphs when published novels don't
(since it would eat up more space on the printed pages and thus cost more
money vs. pretty much free bytes online and makes it easier to read IMHO), I
don't think you can always point to works published on paper as being the
ultimate guide for formatting of works of online fanfiction.
Next thing I know you'll complain about e.e. cummings for not bothering to
use capital letters. ;-)