: Re: Is it OK to refer to some characters by first name and to others by last name? I'm writing the outline for my first novel, which has three main characters. I'm very happy with their names,
It is one of those things that are a matter of personal taste. Sometimes referring to a character by its surname implies things - eg that they are inferior or superior to their peers depending on context, that they are old schoolfriends from the type of school where people are known by their surnames, that they are mysterious and don't reveal their first name to anyone, and so on.
While consistency is good, you could also have a character whose last name is generally used except by one other character, implying a higher degree of intimacy between those two.
But yes, you can call them by first or last names, or a mixture, as you feel correct.
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: Dialogue writing practices? First time novelist, long time writer here. I'm looking for creative writing exercises to help with my dialogue. Any ideas?
: The most important part of telling dialogue is the dialogue itself, though many times people make a strong effort to think of "exciting" words to replace the word "said". Using a "fancy" word
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