Sunday, October 10, 2010

A Reader's Guide to Author's Jargon 52

chiamus

what I call Yoda speak. This is where two clauses are reversed for effect. So, You are a Jedi Knight, becomes A Jedi Knight, you are. It can be awkward in dialog if the character doesn't normally speak that way. How it can be very effective in narrative to raise tension. Like all things in writing, if overused, or misplaced, it feels odd to the reader, and anything that feels odd to the reader, throws them out of the story (that is, disengages them).

Edward C. Patterson

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