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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 48
Blogger
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OP
Blogger
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 48 |
I'm trying to write something and one of the characters is recounting this long story that happened a long time ago. I'm getting confused about how to punctuate it. (I'd just do a flash back and write it in present without it being recounted but I like to interject little comments from the character recounting the story).
I'm currently writing it where everything in the text is quoted, because it's what the character is recounting and dialogue he speaks is in single quotes inside that, but it looks weird.
To make it worse, for some reason I'm wording the recounting in the third person, so Mr. Johnson is recounting the story that has him talking with someone else and recounting the what both people said.
Has anyone dealt with this situation? How'd you handle it? Thank you.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,483
Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,483 |
Do it as a flash back with the comments in parenthesis or italics?
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,445
Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,445 |
Usually the way to do it is something like this:
Clark said "Everything was going pretty well until Jimmy said 'Did anyone remember to let Lois out of the death trap?' After that the party went pretty flat."
I've used double quotes for the things Clark says and single quotes for when he's quoting someone else, I've seen it done the other way round. No problem either way so long as it's consistent.
Marcus L. Rowland
Forgotten Futures, The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 253
Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 253 |
I just asked a question related to this on another board. I agree with the solution that Marcus gave. However, I have been confronted with a quote within a quote within a quote. I believe the correct way to punctuatuate it would be double marks for the first quote, single marks for the second quote, and double marks again for the third quote. Does anyone differ with that? If so, what would be the correct usage? Thanks for your help.  Jude 
"Simplify. Simplify."
Henry David Thoreau
"To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle."
George Orwell
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
I agree with Marcus. I also don't think there should be any confusion with your Mr. Johnson quoting two people within his dialogue as he'll presumably identify each person at the time. i.e. "Lois said, 'Don't go in there.' and then Jimmy said, 'Why not?'". So it should be reasonably easy to follow who's saying what, I should think. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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