: Re: Is representing distorted voices via different typefaces, and different languages represented by enclosing brackets an advisable thing to do? In the current draft of my book, the evil dictator

@Annie587

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In my humble opinion, don't.

You'd have to explain what the different fonts mean. You can't expect the reader to guess. Perhaps that could be done smoothly. If I was reading a story I'd find it rather jarring, tearing me out of immersion in the story, if there was a note in the middle of the story that said, "When I use this font it means ..." That's breaking the fourth wall. Okay, maybe you could slip it in more subtly. Like the first time you use it you say, "Then the dictator spoke by blah blah" and then give the text in this different font and the user should get it.

How many different fonts are you thinking of using, and how distinctive are they? Readers will have to be able to instantly distinguish the different fonts and remember what they mean. You may say, "Well obviously this is Garamond and that's Times Roman", but that may not be so obvious to a reader who isn't much interested in fonts.

I'd guess publishers would not appreciate the extra expense for typesetting and proof-reading.

I've read a few stories where they used different fonts for different types of speech, or a different font for voice versus telepathy, or humans versus robots, or whatever. Generally I've just found it gimmicky and distracting.

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