Views From Your Muse

ASK UNCLE DAVE

Writing action with CAPS

QUESTION

I'm trying to figure out if it's best to put actions within "action" in CAPS. Here's a quick example:

Duke WAVES to Lassie as he drives off.

ANSWER

Don't place actions in CAPS. All-CAPS are hard to read and the reader might think you are trying to indicate a sound.

Since the primary purpose of narrative description is to describe action, you do not need any emphasis. I like the fact that your example focuses on a verb. If you use specific, concrete action verbs in your description, you'll get the reader's attention.


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