Proper punctuation mark usage is something that is barely noticed while reading, and this is because the entire reading process was made smooth. Punctuation marks that are incorrectly used or absent divert the reader’s attention away from the tale you’re trying to tell. You do not want that. The least you can do is to master the basics, learn the rules, and come about creative ways to bend them.
In this article, I will discuss 6 major punctuation marks, their uses, and examples in fiction writing.
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Comma,
Consider a brief pause. Keep that in mind whenever you’re deciding whether or not to use a comma in a sentence. If you are unsure whether a comma should be used, read the sentence aloud. Is there a brief pause?
Let’s look at this example from Sarah J. Maas’ Crescent City:
Rolling her eyes, Bryce yanked open the front door, getting a facefull of heat so dry it threatened to suck the life from her.”
Let’s place those commas somewhere else in the sentence and see if it makes sense.
Rolling, her eyes Bryce yanked open the front door getting a facefull of heat, so dry it threatened to suck the life from her.
Yes, you can giggle at how ridiculous that sounds. Those misplaced commas caused you to pause in the wrong places. In fact, the entire sentence was weird.
Let’s totally get rid of the commas and see what happens.
Rolling her eyes Bryce yanked open the front door getting a facefull of heat so dry it threatened to suck the life from her.
The sentence sounds too fast. Avoid that.
Apart from the pause rule, there are other unbreakable rules of comma usage. When adding an introductory word, phrase, or clause to a sentence, introduce a comma.
Slowly, the snake slithered around the corner and vanished into the bushes.
Slowly is an introductory word.
All the while, the snake slithered around the corner and vanished into the bushes.
All the while is an introductory phrase.
Silent as a whisper of silk, the snake slithered around the corner and vanished into the bushes.
Silent as a whisper of silk is an introductory clause.
Avoid using a comma to separate independent clauses. An independent clause is a clause that can stand separately on its own and still make sense.
“I went to the cinema yesterday, that crazy guy was there.”
A comma isn’t strong enough to join the two independent clauses in the above sentence. Use a comma and a conjunction (and, but, so, yet e.t.c.), a semicolon, or a full stop in cases like this.
Conjunction: “I went to the cinema yesterday, and that crazy guy was there.”
Semicolon: “I went to the cinema yesterday; that crazy guy was there.”
Full stop: “I went to the cinema yesterday. That crazy guy was there.”
Another point: when you include a name, title, or endearing word when referring to a character in dialogue, place a comma after such word.
“Mary, I love you.”
This sub-topic will be too long if I go on and on about all the uses of a comma, so, here is a link to Grammarly that teaches all the basics.
“Quotation Marks”
This is used when writing dialogue in a story, i.e. whenever a character makes a direct statement. Examples:
Gwen frowned and said, “I hate it when you do that.”
Gwen frowned. “I hate it when you do that.”
“I hate it when you do that,” Gwen said.
“I hate it when you do that,” she said.
This brings me to a side topic: Dialogue tags. A comma comes before the closing quotation mark when a dialogue tag is used. Said is an example of a dialogue tag. The usage of a comma while using quotation marks is not applicable in every case though. A simple full stop works where no dialogue tag exists [see the second example I gave]. A frown isn’t a conversation tag because words can’t be frowned, but they can be said, whispered, or yelled.
Avoid dialogue tags that draw attention to themselves. Readers get so used to said that it becomes invisible after a while. A jarring dialogue tag like smiled (yes, people actually use smile as a dialogue tag), pouted, laughed is odd. How does a person pout words?
When it is evident who is speaking, you can forgo using dialogue tags.
Exclamation Mark!
Exclamation marks are used to indicate exclamation. Resist the urge to indiscriminately attach it to your writing except in instances where it is absolutely necessary. When this punctuation mark is used excessively, it becomes as though your characters are shouting every word they say. Let’s look at these examples and discuss them:
“Leave me alone!” Gwen yelled as she stumbled away from Mark.
This is a good use of the exclamation mark. One may argue that the word “yelled” is redundant because of the presence of the exclamation mark, but I’d say do what you feel is best.
“LEAVE ME ALONE.” Gwen stumbled away from Mark.
Another technique to indicate a character yelling their remarks is to use all caps. In this scenario, there is no need for an exclamation mark. Please don’t use the All Caps method too often.
“Leave! Me!! Alone!!!” or “Leave me alone!!”
Do not use more than one exclamation mark. Those examples break punctuation rules. One exclamation mark is always enough. Do not give in to the temptation of adding a second or a third.
Ellipsis…
While ellipsis has additional applications in formal and nonfiction writing, I shall concentrate on its use in fiction. Ellipsis in fiction writing suggests a quiet pause in speech, a shift in mood due to distraction, or the speaker’s words/thoughts trailing off. It works best when the change is slow and gradual rather than abrupt and frightening.
Here is an example of the proper use of ellipsis:
“I didn’t know you… what’s the word?” Bunmi scratched her chin. “Aha! I didn’t know you swung that way.” She wiggled her brows at Ben and laughed.
In the above example, the ellipsis indicated a fading of Bunmi’s words.
There are other examples of the usage of ellipsis. You can check this site out to learn more.
Remember: ellipsis comprises three dots. ONLY THREE. Anything more than that is definitely not a punctuation mark.
Dashes— and Hyphens-
There is the hyphen, en-dash, and em-dash. I would focus on the Em-dash cause it’s what I use the most in my fiction writing. If you want to learn more about the rest, visit this site.
An Em-dash is used to portray a sudden interruption in a sentence or dialogue. It shows how the suddenness of an occurrence can cut short dialogue or narration, and it also helps to build tension. Examples from Stephen King’s Desperation:
Here, Audrey interrupted what another character was saying hence the Em-dash.
“One of em might have remembered a vent or a chimney—”
“Bullshit,” Audrey said.
In this example, the narration was interrupted by the character’s words.
He couldn’t even remember the name of the geologist woman’s horse, the mare with the strained legs—
“Yes, I can,” he murmured. “Yes, I can, it was . . .”
Semicolon;
Semicolons separate two independent clauses that are related in some way. Understand that the clauses must be independent, i.e. that they can stand on their own and still make sense. Semicolons are also used to make otherwise complex-looking sentences containing lists or series more cohesive.
Examples:
“You call him a genius; I call him an idiot.
“Moyo ate yam, plantain, and egg; john ate bacon, egg, and baked beans; I had fries and oatmeal.”
What’s the punctuation mark you avoid the most in writing? You can share your answer in the comment section below.
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