Correct First Person Punctuation

Question

Fellow Forum Members,Working on my first creative writing project. It's a conversation with the artist Vincent Van Gogh.Can anyone out there help me clarify the following. When I as the writer ask Vincent a question as though I'm talking to him in real time (the first person) which of the two punctuation examples below is correct?Vincent, which of your paintings is your favorite?OR"Vincent, which of your paintings is your favorite?"In other words, are the opening an closing quotation marks correct when the question is in the first person. And when Vincent answers back in the first person which is correct: My favorite painting is SunflowersOR"My favorite painting is Sunflowers"Are quotation marks necessary in when not a question?Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Dialogue requires quotation marks, first person or third.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks for your post BarbaraPA,
Can you or anyone else out there please post some examples. Not clear yet on whether the answer Vincent provides also needs to be inside of quotation marks. My thinking was that quotation marks are only used when a WRITER is narrating dialogue between two characters. For example:

Theo asks his brother Vincent, "Vincent, which is your favorite painting?" Vincent smiling responds, "My favorite painting is Sunflowers."

That's how I see conventional punctuation for dialogue when the Author is writing in the THIRD person. However, do the same rules apply when writing in the FIRST person?

Any FIRST person writing examples of two characters having a conversation in real time without an AUTHOR providing any narration will be greatly appreciated. My goal is to learn what is the correct punctuation to use when two characters in a story are exchanging questions and answers between the two in real time without the AUTHOR providing any narration. Thanks in advance.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswithout the AUTHOR providing any narration.

You seem to be stressing this point as you've written it twice. Is the intent to exclude even "he said", "I said", and the like?

If so, it's going to be difficult for the reader to keep track of who is saying what, even if there are only two people:

"What is ....?"
"I like .... Which do you like?"
"Can you tell me more about ...?"
"The first time I ..., but isn't that how you feel as well?"
"I can't say that ..., but I do feel that ..."
"I agree. It's always difficult to know ..."
"That depends, of course, on ..."

If there are more than two people, the reader's task is absolutely impossible.

Here are two examples from COCA, if you decide to admit the minimum of "narration":

"Is everything okay? " he asked.
"Just a minor emergency, " I said.

He said, "I just won't throw that pitch."
I said, "You won't throw more any pitches."¹

CJ

¹Obviously, the writer meant any more.

Anonymous · Answer

CJ,
Thank you very much for your post. You are correct in that my writing approach may make it harder for the reader to keep track of which of the two characters is talking. However, what I'm trying to achieve is for the reader to feel he/she is voyaging on a conversation taking place between Vincent Van Gogh and Steven Turner in real time. It is my opinion that using the "I said" and "He said" tends to diminish the reality of the conversation taking place between both Vincent and Steven. Therefore my approach is to rely on Steven to say the name Vincent any time he is talking to Vincent and visa versa. By having the two characters address each other by first name I feel I can eliminate the "I said" and "He said" and achieve more reality in my writing.

Now that everyone knows what I'm trying to achieve with my creative writing style, I'm going back to my original question. Are quotation marks still needed when one character asks another character a question within the writing style I'm using? For example when Steven asks Vincent what is your favorite painting which of the two options below would be correct?

Vincent, what is your favorite painting?
OR
"Vincent, what is your favorite painting?"

Since Steven is asking that question to Vincent and he is addressing Vincent by his first name, is that not enough to not leave the reader confused of who is talking? I would appreciate hearing back from anyone regarding if my reality approach to creative writing is better or worse off by including or not including quotation marks when asking questions? Any opinion will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswhich of the two options below would be correct?Vincent, what is your favorite painting?OR"Vincent, what is your favorite painting?"

I believe it was implicit in my post that the second form is correct — correct in the sense that this is what authors have been using up to this point in history.

If you are inventing a new style, then you don't really need to ask such questions on an English forum. Just forge ahead with your own ideas!

CJ

BarbaraPA · Answer

I also thought I was completely clear. They are required.

I also suggest that using someone's name every single time you address him is very unnatural and far more disruptive to the flow of conversation than the occasional "I asked" or he replied." Unless you're a telemarketer.

Clive · Answer

You could consider using the style that a play script is commonly written in.
eg

STEVEN: Good morning.
VINCENT: Good morning.
STEVEN: What's your favourite colour?
ViNCENT: Yellow. Have you seen my ear?
STEVEN: Yes, it's on the table.

etc., etc.

Clive

CalifJim · Answer

Clivethe style that a play script is commonly written in

Hmmm. I thought it was with the character's name centered on a preceding line, an effect that cannot be duplicated with this editor without the use of dots, but you can imagine them absent, thus:

............. STEVEN

Good morning.

............. VINCENT

Good morning.

............. STEVEN

What's your favourite colour?

............. VINCENT

Yellow. Have you seen my ear?

............. STEVEN

Yes, it's on the table.

___________________

Now where did I get that idea?

CJ

Clive · Answer

I use both methods. The one I showed in my post is just easier to type.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks CJ, Barbara, and Clive for your posts.  I appreciate all the tips.  My conversation with Vincent Van Gogh promises to be an interesting creative writing project.  Again thanks to everyone who have contributed to this thread.

Correct First Person Punctuation

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