Q: I read an article in the newspaper that referred to the season of autumn, which we also refer to as fall. In the article, the word “fall” was not capitalized. I have always wondered about this issue, usually capitalizing it, but never feeling sure of what’s right.
A: To answer your question, I'll quote from my own book doctor's desk reference book, Purge Your Prose of Problems. It is available through my website, www.zebraeditor.com.
Autumn, Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter
Seasons of the year are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence or in a headline. Examples: I’ll see you in the spring. Fall weather dries my skin. The headline said Save Now on Winter Coats. Aren’t the autumn leaves beautiful?
By the way, you’re not alone in your confusion. Many writers incorrectly assume that seasons should be capitalized, and when no editor is on the staff to correct the error, the mistake makes its way into print. Others see it in print and assume it’s correct, if it’s in print. No wonder people get confused!
Q: I have noticed that in a lot of books, whenever you see a conversation, not every response ends with something like John said, John asked, John replied, etc. Sometimes the characters just talk, and that part is omitted. Many times there is a mixture. Could you please explain to me how this works?
A: Creative writers avoid any type of repetition, including patterns. When every piece of dialogue begins or ends with words that attribute the dialogue to that person (these words are called attributions or tags), the writing grows repetitious and boring. Some writers avoid repeating the words “said” or “asked” by using other attributions, such as replied, responded, requested, retorted, denied, agreed, and such, but those words stick out even worse than “said” does.
Attributions ensure that readers know who spoke. Because correct dialogue format calls for a new paragraph for each new person who speaks, when only two people are in a scene, writers need to attribute only the first couple of pieces of dialogue. After that, the format (each new paragraph) indicates that the other person is responding, so no attributions are necessary. Below is an example of a two-way conversation. Notice how the first two pieces of dialogue are attributed to the speakers, but after those first two attributions, readers clearly know who is speaking. Notice, too, that I put one attribution after the dialogue and one attribution before the dialogue, to avoid placing the attribution in the same place in both sentences.
“John, would you please take out the trash?” Mary asked.
John said, “I took it out yesterday. It’s your turn.”
“I just cleaned the whole house, while you read the newspaper. The least you can do is take out the trash.”
“Can I please finish reading this article? Why do I have to jump up instantly and perform every command you make?”
Another great way to reduce the volume of attributions is to use action that shows who is speaking, and again, correct format puts each person’s actions in a separate paragraph. Below is the same conversation using action for the attribution. Notice how the use of “asked” and “said” is no longer necessary, because we clearly see who did and said what, by the format.
“John, please take out the trash.” Mary pointed to an overflowing trashcan.
John dropped his newspaper into his lap. “I took it out yesterday. It’s your turn.”
“I just cleaned the whole house, while you read the newspaper. The least you can do is take out the trash.”
“Can I please finish reading this article?” John threw his hands into the air. “Why do I have to jump up instantly and perform every command you make?”
When three or more people are speaking in a scene, each piece of dialogue must be attributed to a specific speaker, so some form of attribution is required. In that case, interspersing tags with action keeps the repetition down. Below is an example.
“John, please take out the trash.” Mary pointed to an overflowing trashcan.
John dropped his newspaper into his lap. “I took it out yesterday. It’s your turn.”
Five-year-old Sammy walked into the living room with tears in his eyes. “Please don’t fight, Mommy and Daddy. I’ll take the trash out.”
Mary turned to her son. “You’re a dear, but I just cleaned the whole house, while your father read the newspaper. The least he can do is take out the trash.”
“Can I please finish reading this article?” John threw his hands into the air. “Why do I have to jump up instantly and perform every command you make?”
Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.
