I've been reading a lot of debates among writers lately, trying to learn how to be a better writer - and how to sell the books once I write them. Among one of the most heated discussions is the question of whether or not one should try to write the way a character speaks. Some believe it should NEVER be done, because it's distracting. Others insist that not showing the accent means that the character is never fully developed. Using one of my favorite pieces, let's experiment, shall we?
How would you hear this line if you read it this way?
"What is he, my precious?"
And now the way "The Master" wrote it?
"What iss he, my preciouss?"
So, did Tolkien distract by indicating Gollum's soft hiss? I always found it easier to "hear" Gollum because of this indication of the way he spoke.
I, personally, find it more interesting to have the characters speak in dialects and accents - as long as the writing is done well. Phonetic spelling isn't really necessary to indicate a dialect. Sometimes all one has to do is spell things the way the character would pronounce them.
Of course, sometimes one also needs to indicate what the dialect or accent is when writing a line. Take, for instance, this line from a letter I once received while I was living in Florida and most of my family was living in Maine....
"I won't write you a long letter because I have a sore tum."
If your reaction is the same way as mine was when I first read that sentence, you're probably scratching your head and wondering what in the world.......
But what if you learn that the person who wrote that sentence had a heavy French accent? Does reading it aloud with a French accent make you realize that the "tum" is that other digit on your hand in addition to fingers? (This letter was sent by my Memere, who also spoke of what "the mens" were up to that week.)
So what do you think? If a writer has a firm grasp on an accent or local dialect, should the wording reflect the way the character would talk?
hmm i don't think i have a set preference. i've read books that did the dialects/accents really well and books that almost made me want to put them down because of it. i think it really depends on the author and the story. if it distracts from the overall story because the reader has to take time to really focus on the conversation to understand what's going on or if it's the major character trait (the guy with the accent) of an otherwise cardboard character, then i think the author should pass on it. so basically if it adds to the story then leave it in, if it comes off as sort of gimmicky then take it out is my opinion.
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