For writers
On italicising the right word
A sample note for writers, to show how a note reads on the site: italics as a voice raised on one word, and why fewer is better.
This is a sample page. It shows how one of her notes for writers will read on the site; the note itself is still to be written.
One word, not a sentence
Italics show the reader where your voice would rise if you were speaking. Put them on the one word that carries the weight, and the sentence turns on it. Put them on a whole sentence, and the reader no longer knows where to listen.
Where italics belong
- The titles of books, newspapers and films.
- A word from another language that your readers may not know, the first time it appears.
- A word you are writing about as a word.
If everything is emphasised, nothing is.
Read it aloud
Before you publish, read the paragraph aloud. If you stress a word the page does not mark, you may have found the one word that needs italics. If you stress none of the words you marked, take the italics away.