1. SeverinR

    SeverinR New Member

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    How best to write different communications?

    Discussion in 'Setting Development' started by SeverinR, Jul 11, 2011.

    I have several ways of communication in m current book.

    Speaking, mind messaging, mind reading, and people thinking.

    Speaking: "So where are you from?"
    Mind messaging: "You are a mentalist, welcome."
    mind reading: "I can not let this pretty elf know that I am afraid of something."

    Some are rapid fire, the new mentalist is trying to deal with his new abilities, trying to follow a verbal conversation while others are speaking with him in his mind, and one of the mentalist students has the ability to read surface thoughts and accidently reads thoughts and sometimes invades mental comunications not realizing she is doing it.

    Someone said when thinking, maybe use a ' to show a different form of communication. Such as: 'You are a mentalist? Welcome.'
    I was also thinking italics for mental messaging.
    "You are a mentalist, welcome."
    Should the different forms of communication be in a different format? I am trying to show the mc's confusion in dealing with them.

    At one point he is mind messaging to two people at once, and trying to speak to the person sitting next to him in a crowed dining room.:eek:
     
  2. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Dialogue is dialogue, regardless of medium. Thought dialogue is the sole excepyion, for whch the preferred method is the same but without enclosing it in quotation marks.

    He said, she said - Mechanics of Dialogue
     
  3. SeverinR

    SeverinR New Member

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    So this being a thought not a communication would look like this:

    I can not let this pretty elf know that I am afraid of something. Tannan thinks to himself.
    "You think I am pretty? Thank you...."She responds mentally to him with a smile, then gasps as she realizes she read his mind.

    I take it, you still indent as if it was a statement?
    (disclaimer:partially real dialog modified to be understandable in this thread)

    Both your links didn't work for me on my home computer. I will try at work
     

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