Contractions

It's been so long since I have blogged! However, I have a viable excuse. Would you like to hear it? .......Of course you do. As some may know, I am a student and it takes a lot of work to juggle writing, classes, and blogging. So to make my life easier, I stopped blogging for a bit, but now I'm back and ready for the summer. I really need a break from college life.

Anywho...

A few updates... I have paused writing Neacel and Jess' story to focus on my original WIP for Aiden and Elle. I have to be fair. They were here first.

I tanked the last version of their story (I've had about five different ones) and am currently working with a combination of the ones I have. It has made it much better to my surprise. (Why didn't I think of this two years ago?) I am a solid 8K into the new draft. ^_^

Now on to today's topic....

I speak for myself when I say contractions are a part of everyday speech, unless I'm writing a term paper where it is informal to write that way.

Since I write YA, I try to stick with how I remember teens speaking when I was growing up. (I'm only 19 heh) No one spoke "properly" because that was considered lame. Plus contractions are just more fun.

But when does it get to the point where you are using too many contractions in your work?

I have lost count how many contractions I have used thus far in my current WIP. I don't know whether to think this is good or bad.

My female lead, since it is in 1st person, constantly speaks in contractions. The gods, Greek mythology, never speak in contractions. Did I do that on purpose? Yes. I want to differentiate between the older and the younger, but when does it become too much.

I'm trying to keep a fine line between going overboard, but I don't want to change my lead's voice, but I also don't want it to become distracting for the reader.

What are your thoughts on contractions in YA?

-AshMash

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