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Writing Dialogue / Dialect in Fantasy work

I saw a previous thread on writing in a dialect. I am about to ask a similar question.
I don't normally write fantasy and found myself giving the dialogue a, possibly predictable, olde worlde feel. To compound my doubt I flicked through some Pratchett and some Tolkien and found the dialogue to be pretty up to date. I'll paste a couple of examples from my story bellow and would appreciate opinion on whether I should ditch the affected style:

"It were the biggest dragon you ever saw! It's tail were longer than a line o' men wantin' to woo yonder barmaid."

"Dragon slayer! Know thee a dragon Slayer?"

From the previous thread on a similar subject, it is possible that I should drop the apostrophes / contractions.
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Comments

  • I like it. It definitely conjures up an olde worlde image.
  • It works well, because there's an element of humour to the story. It's also not overdone - it's only a few lines of dialogue in one page of text. I'd keep it as it is. Don't worry about what other writers do - this is your story; tell it your way!
    I've just been reading a very badly written book where all the servant classes speak in cod-yokelese. Believe me, yours is definitely not in that low league!
  • I feel it's better to use normal language, but it's the odd phrases, and the way your characters speak that suggest those differences.

    You seem to have got it, so don't worry too much.
  • Thanks for the comments and reassurance
  • Works for me as it's not overdone.
  • Don't worry about what other writers do - this is your story; tell it your way!
    Yes - that.

    But also, don't think of it as a genre issue but as a character issue. If you feel that's how your characters (or some of your characters) would speak then use the dialect.



  • As a reader and writer of SF type stuff, I'm not a fan. Unless done for a specific effect, it doesn't really move the genre forward from Tolkien and his imitators. I also think it is a barrier between the reader and the characters.

    Just because something is Fantasy doesn't mean that it has to be set in the Medieval, or even anywhere Euro-centric, even if it's Secondary World. Look at China Mieville (a personal favourite), Jeff Vandermeer or Steph Swainson for examples...
  • "...doesn't mean that it has to be set in the Medieval..."
    Indeed so. It's my love of archery and a recent look at local legends that has shaped the fantasy so far.
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