There was an interesting conversation in the earlier hours of the New Year concerning what I first thought was a formatting problem of my first book. Having reviewed the original again quickly, and finding no huge errors in this troublesome field, I decided to see if I could solve the mystery that brought such torture to someone. I think I did.

So, what could be at the heart of the trouble? I believe it’s a thing called ‘The Punctuation in or outside quotation (speech) marks Convention’ and you can find out more about it by clicking here.

So, what I think made my work unreadable was that I used the wrong Convention. The rules are complicated, and apparently it is very common for writers and journalists from both sides of the pond to use either. So presumably, if you are in agreement, and that Convention should strictly be adhered to, the works of these authors and many more should make you feel bilious…

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful And Damned

“Train late?” he asked mildly.

It had irritated him to wait for Anthony.  He was under the delusion not only that in his youth he had handled his practical affairs with the utmost scrupulousness, even to keeping every engagement on the dot, but also that this was the direct and primary cause of his success.

“It’s been late a good deal this month,” he remarked with a shade of meek accusation in his voice—­and then after a long sigh, “Sit down.”

Jack London, Call Of The Wild

 

His hand was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief, and the right trouser leg was ripped from knee to ankle.

“How much did the other mug get?” the saloon-keeper demanded.

“A hundred,” was the reply. “Wouldn’t take a sou less, so help me.”

 ”That makes a hundred and fifty,” the saloon-keeper calculated; “and he’s worth it, or I’m a squarehead.”

 

 The kidnapper undid the bloody wrappings and looked at his lacerated hand. “If I don’t get the hydrophoby—”

 

 ”It’ll be because you was born to hang,” laughed the saloon-keeper. “Here, lend me a hand before you pull your freight,” he added.

Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall Of The House Of Usher

“You must not—you shall not behold this!” said I, shuddering, to Usher, as I led him, with a gentle violence, from the window to a seat. “These appearances, which bewilder you, are merely electrical phenomena not uncommon—or it may be that they have their ghastly origin in the rank miasma of the tarn. Let us close this casement;—the air is chilling and dangerous to your frame. Here is one of your favorite romances. I will read, and you shall listen:—and so we will pass away this terrible night together.”

So, to the point of this article. I believe that if you allow punctuation to get in the way of a good read, be it the UK Convention, or the US Convention, or even a mixture of the both, you are missing the whole point of reading a book. My view is that you should concentrate on the words instead, rather than allow a few dots and dashes to paralyze you, forcing you to grind to a halt on the first page simply because you cannot ignore a violation of a punctuation Convention.

Would this Convention put you off reading a book? I would be interested in your comments.

I am pleased to announce that my book Had the virus, bought the t-shirt is now available as an ebook from both Amazon and Smashwords. For the moment I suggest you download it from Smashwords as there is a glitch in the pricing at Amazon US. Please note that if you live in Greece you will not be able to purchase the book from Amazon UK.

Had the virus, bought the t-shirt is an adventure story and tells the tale of a group of school children, in particular the members of the Knight family, who succumb to a viral infection. However, the consequences of catching this particular virus are both unexpected and extreme.

They are aided in their plight by several people, in particular by Diaz and Veronica who attempt to maintain their freedom. They are pursued by a sinister group of individuals whose motives are highly questionable. And it’s funny, honestly!