How do you guys feel about colons?

[Svrtnsse]

Ahoy,

I'm sitting around thinking about punctuation, and colons specifically. As far as I understand it, I've used them correctly, but I'm wondering whether I should be using them at all. I'm worried they may make the text too formal or too clinical, which isn't really what I want.

What are your thoughts?

Examples:

Halfway around the semi-circle the road split into two: one way continuing east out the other end of the village, and one cutting south between the buildings and on into the forest.

No one paid them any mind as they sauntered over to admire the old well. It looked like taken from the pages of a children's book: smooth rocks stacked to form a circular wall, a little wooden roof covering it all, and a winch to haul up the water bucket.

 

[stephenspower]

I'm so disappointed this thread is actually about punctuation.

 

[Mythopoet]

I'm so disappointed this thread is actually about punctuation.

I'm relieved.

I'm ok with colons. But I have an irrational love for semi-colons. It always gives me a little thrill when I see a semi-colon in a book I'm reading. Yes, I'm weird.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I'm so disappointed this thread is actually about punctuation.

You were thinking something like this?

@Mythopoet
I'm glad you do. I seem to have semi-colons high and low all over my prose - to the point I'm worried I'm overdoing it.

I'm double-checking my colon use though, as I discovered some places where I really didn't use them correctly after all.

 

[RonCNieto]

They seem to be nice enough chaps

As Mythopoet says, my true love are semicolons. Still, colons are okay when used correctly. I would treat them the same way you treat adverbs: there's no need to go all "adverbinator", taking them all out, but it's wise to make sure you don't put too many colons (or semicolons) in any given text.

Example: if your examples belong to the same page, or are found within a couple pages of each other, you might want to consider scrapping one. If they belong to different chapters or have several pages between them, then you're good.

In any case, I don't think colons (or semicolons, for that matter) make the text formal or clinical. At worst, they may make the text choppy. If you take care of the flow and it works, then you should be fine.

 

[FarmerBrown]

I had a colon problem. My editor cured me. I was using colons on almost every page! I love them so much. But now I try to reword or use em-dashes instead of my beloved colons, and try to keep the colons to one per chapter at MOST.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I'm grateful to have mine since the alternative is a bag!

But if on the other hand you mean punctuation marks, what's the big deal about them? I mean there's essentually two uses for them. The first is to start a list. And my thought is that writing lists out in fiction is far from something I would want to write. The second purpose is to seperate clauses in a sentence where the second clause explains the first. I find a single dash works just as well for that.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Laurence]

Personally, I just shove my arm right up there. I can't afford fancy surgical equipment.

 

[Svrtnsse]

The second purpose is to seperate clauses in a sentence where the second clause explains the first. I find a single dash works just as well for that.

Thanks. While looking into this I probably came across this, only worded in less obvious ways. This is very helpful to me.

 

[Tom]

I knew this was going to happen. So I waited. And I watched. And it paid off.

Colons are nice, whether on the page or in your gut. I use the punctuation kind infrequently; I use semi-colons a lot more (as I just did). Colons seem a little abrupt, and I've always associated them with lists instead of literature. But to each his own. Tolkien used them quite a bit. I don't mind them if they're executed properly.

 

[Devor]

The colon is kind of a gross body part, but it serves its function well enough. :dance:

I like colons and semicolons, but whenever I try to use them, people complain. I wouldn't say I avoid them, but in most cases I've learned to find other ways.

There is one example of a place where I would still use a colon: A sentence like this one. But in fiction a sentence like that would more often than not just be out of place.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I avoid using either. I'll rewrite any sentence that needs either to be grammatically correct.

I do think they come off looking formal. In my opinion, leave them for the technical writers and legal documents. They feel out of place in fiction, but maybe that's just me.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I avoid using either. I'll rewrite any sentence that needs either to be grammatically correct.

I do think they come off looking formal. In my opinion, leave them for the technical writers and legal documents. They feel out of place in fiction, but maybe that's just me.

I sort of feel the same. It's just that using them, especially semi-colons, come really easy to me. They're a natural part of how I write. I recently read up on the rules for colons and semi-colons and started using more of the regular colons. I figured if it's correct it's fine - but it just didn't feel right.
I've gone through the wip now and I've eliminated the vast majority of the colons. Some are still there, but most are gone. I'm keeping the semi-colons though. I'm much more comfortable with them, and I feel they work in a whole different way than the colons did.


Big thanks to everyone for the feedback (and the puns).

 

[Velka]

I couldn't resist.

As for the other kind of colon, meh. I find them a bit jarring. Semicolons however.... swoon!

 

[cupiscent]

I use semicolons egregiously. Then again, I have a tendency to long, clause-ful, rambling sentences that attempt to tie about six concepts together, so using four different forms of punctuation is sort of essential for anything resembling grammatical correctness. (And then my critique group laughs at me and I make it simpler in edits.)

I use colons much less, and I think it's probably because my writing tends to not have that sort of direct link between one point and another. I like to rather overlap my impressions, building up a collage of meaning. Yes, I'm a bit wanky like that.

I will say, though, for the love of the grammar gods, don't just not use semicolons because you think they're too formal or overwrought or something. Reading Anthony Ryan's Blood Song, the comma-splices nearly drove me CRAZY, leading to many sentences I had to re-read to get any sense out of. This could have been avoided if he'd used semicolons appropriately, instead of just shoving a comma in anywhere he pleased.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I will say, though, for the love of the grammar gods, don't just not use semicolons because you think they're too formal or overwrought or something.

It's not just because I think they're too formal. It's also because I notice them as a reader. I'd rather the reader not notice any of the writing.

 

[ThinkerX]

I do have a 'sage' type character or two who use them in dialogue: academic background, academic way of speaking.

 

[Penpilot]

I say treat both types with care and avoid over usage.

Tapping a finger into one once in while can be cool. Do it too many times and it can just get messy.

 

[arbiter117]

....... The only reason why I clicked on this was to see what everyone else would say about colons. Honestly, they all thought the same thing. As a PDBio major, I have to say colons are quite fascinating and kinda squishy. The epiploic appendages aren't bad and the haustra are wonderful....

oh you mean these::::::::::

yeah, those don't serve much of a purpose in a book.

 

[SineNomine]

I have Ulcerative Colitis so this topic is, of course, very near and dear to me...Hate the buggers. They are nothing but a pain in the ass.

I think I overuse semicolons, but for some reason I have never quite succumbed to the same siren song with colons; they just don't appeal to me the same way for whatever reason. They do feel a bit more...clinical, but I don't think that you should necessarily abandon them entirely. Just be aware of the tonal implications involved.