"I never said she stole my coat."
I was 16 years old, driving home late one night from a girl's house when I heard a DJ say these words: "I never said she stole my coat."
And a little tired. A little flushed from my date. That phrase forevermore changed me as a writer. I realized even then still in high school how people could so easily misinterpret the written word. That dialogue could have completely different and contradictory meanings based on inflection and interpretation.
I never said she stole my coat.
I NEVER said she stole my coat.
I never SAID she stole my coat.
I never said SHE stole my coat.
I never said she STOLE my coat.
I never said she stole MY coat.
I never said she stole my COAT.
From that point on. Italicizing words in prose and underlining dialogue in scripts became my way of guiding the audience to the meaning I wanted to convey. Now, you don't need to and you shouldn't spoon-feed the audience. But sometimes when it's important, you need to italicize the hell out of them.
If you have a question about or thoughts on writing, @ me on Twitter @edwardsavio.
