DON’T WRITE LIKE THIS.

When not to write in ALL-CAPITAL LETTERS in fiction—and when you CAN.

Before we dive into this one, I have to say: this is somewhat a personal opinion, but it’s one many other professionals agree with, so I’m talking about it. Because I get it. When I’m texting my friends or posting on social media, I love writing in all capital letters.

Your character is yelling, or you want to show emphasis—it’s natural that your first thought would be to turn on those capital letters and go wild. But if you’re writing a novel, there are better ways to get that voice across.

To put this bluntly: Typing in all-caps can come off as a bit immature. There are absolutely times when that works. If you’re writing a book about a teenager’s journal, and it’s a journal entry? Go for it. Text messages, emails, social media posts for your characters? Go wild.

But, if you’re writing an emotional moment where your character is screaming at the top of their lungs, all capital letters take away from the severity of the emotions and make that intense moment seem almost humorous. And, again, if that’s your intention—do it (sparingly.)

Tip: If you’re in love with an all-caps writing style, my recommendation would be to use it once per book. And use it where it fits the vibe: silly, over-the-top, and loud.

Okay, then, how do we show a character screaming?

Exclamations and dialogue tags, but even then, be sparing.

The truth is, when it comes to those super emotional moments: less is more. Dialing back can actually make the moment seem more sincere and less melodramatic. Is melodrama what you’re going for? Use exclamations, maybe throw in an all-caps word, and do whatever you want.

But if your character is genuinely breaking down, mourning, grieving… it may be better to dial it back.

A melodramatic emotional scene can read a little something like this.

“You’re kidding! How could he do that to me? After everything we’ve been through!”

Or even: “You’re kidding!” she screamed. “How could he do that to me? After everything we’ve been through!

(Tip: If you have the exclamation mark, you don’t need to add the screaming dialogue tag. One or the other works well enough!)

But a more genuinely emotional and heartfelt scene can read like this.

“You’re kidding,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “How can he do that to me? After everything we’ve been through!”

The final exclamation lets the readers know her voice is slowly rising, that she’s slowly breaking down, without overwhelming or tiptoeing into melodrama. And she starts out whispering—sometimes those quiet, broken moments are more potent than the louder ones.

All in all: Use a single dialogue tag or single exclamation to make the feelings come across, but try to let the dialogue speak for itself.

And what about making emphasis?

You do NOT need to rely on all-caps to show emphasis. Look, I get it. This is a pet favorite of mine too in my personal life, but in reading it’s pretty simple: italics, just like I showed right there.

Don’t rely too heavily on this either, but the occasional italic for emphasis is fine.

I recommend limiting to one per page, but even that could be a bit much.

Overall, if you’re writing a novel, novella, or short story and want to come off as professional, avoid all-caps. If you’re dead set on using it outside of things like text messages, stick to one time, and make it count.

What is your favorite way to show emotion?

Follow @lavendellebooks on threads for more fiction editing tips, and check out my services!

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The Art of Pressing Enter