Thanks everyone for your kind comments. Sorry for the initial faux pas and not indicating the part numbers.
I gather that everyone likes this phase of Lois and Clark's relationship -- lunkheaded Clark, hopelessly in love and afraid to say the scary words and terribly cynical Lois, unsure if she really feels anything and also afraid to say the scary words. I hope you will enjoy the resolution as much as the set-up.
Fragments. Yep.
I found one article that gave me very good justification for using them.
The key to using fragments is CONTEXT. According to Fowler's (Modern English Usage, 3rd Edition), if in the context of what you are writing you use a sentence fragment and it works, it is usually acceptable. However, as stated in Essentials of English, 4th Edition, if it seriously dislocates the continuity of the writing, it's a sentence error. Who's call is it? First, yours. Second, your editor's.
Most writers use sentence fragments in dialogue or in quick action sequences because the context of their writing calls for it. There's a very good section on using sentence fragments in dialogue in Renni Browne and Dave King's, Self-Editing For Fiction Writers, pp 64-67. The authors list quite a few examples and basically conclude that, "If not overused, this technique captures remarkably well the rhythms of real speech."
I believe it not only captures the rhythm of real speech but of real thought as well. And since the first call is mine and the second is my editor's, since I'm the editor, I guess that means I get both calls.
Will Lois recognize his voice? Will Clark chicken out before she does? You'll have to read part two to find out.
Sorry about not numbering the parts. It's been a while. I've corrected the header to read "I've Got This Friend 1/2."
(True Defender of Fragments and Frustrator of Betas)
