Saturday, September 14, 2013

Few question marks for this writer

No question marks? I'm reading a book by one of my favorite writers, and it's driving me crazy.

Half the time, he doesn't use question marks.


If there's a bit of dialogue and he doesn't use he said or she said, then he does use a question mark. Other times, he doesn't.


Here are three questions on one page.


"Why would they do that," Goodwin said.


"Will she get us out of jail," Isa Fearnley said.


"What do you mean," Goodwin said.


They didn't say anything; they asked.


"Why would they do that?"


"Will she get us out of jail?"


"What do you mean?"


All questions.


Obviously, someone at the publishing house doesn't like to use a question mark before an end-quote; or the writer didn't.

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ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL
(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)
(the book of great NASCAR stories)

Friday, September 13, 2013

Editing time (in a science story)

Found online: NASA officials announced that Voyager 1 entered interstellar space 35 years after its launch in August 2012. 

The story is about the space probe Voyager I leaving the solar system in August 2012. The problem with this sentence is that it reads like Voyager I was launched in August 2012.

Let's try again:

NASA officials announced that Voyager 1 entered interstellar space in August 2012, 35 years after its launch.

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ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL
(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)
(the book of great NASCAR stories)