Harry Potter Capslock Revisited

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

So a lot of us now have talked long and hard about how there's a ton of capslock in Harry Potter and how that's the sort of writing you'd expect from amateur fanfiction. Recently I was reading a random blog post for a bad novel and the writers of the blog were commenting on how there are some versions of capslock more excusable than others, and that the capslock in Harry Potter was an unusually good example of how it could work (see Molly Weasley's threat to Bellatrix, DH). This was compared favorably to the use of capslock seen in hack writing such as, for example, the following sentence from a bad novel I actually own:

"That made Thunderbark EXTREMELY angry."

Note that this is not a line of dialogue.

So what do all you guys think? Do you think Harry Potter's use of capslock actually works at any point? Do you think there's any way it could work in published novels, or should it remain a mistake of amateur fanfic authors?

Comments

[nx74defiant.livejournal.com]

I can't think of an example. I think Caps lock used well doesn't stick out. It the bad that stays in the memory. A rare piece of dialog perhaps.

[sunnyskywalker]

I think that in general, capslock could be effective - when used very, very sparingly and only when the situation actually calls for extreme emphasis. So, "I am very peeved at my friends right now!" does not cut it. More like... maybe if some character has to shout a certain word/phrase loudly enough to echo off a mountain chain for magical and/or avalanche causing purposes at the climax of a book, or is shouting a final "No!" at the villain for some huge refusal to go along with the evil plot at the climax, or something similarly huge. In that case, that particular utterance would be distinct from ordinary shouting. And short enough that it wouldn't get irritating. But I'd think carefully about using it even in that kind of situation.

I think HP uses it often enough that it loses its effectiveness. If we can't tell he's super-upset from the context plus some italics and exclamation points, then capslocking is relying too much on typography rather than, you know, writing. You might as well put all of Luna's dialog in a whimsical font instead of making sure that her actual words are whimsical enough to convey that impression on their own.

If it were cut down by 95 percent? I don't know, maybe I'd be fine with it.

[kahran042]

I think that capslock looks good when used as robot-speech.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

I'm inclined to agree with Sunnyskywalker. The capslock key should be used very, very, sparingly, if at all. As young writers, we get told we should make emotions clear by the words we choose. The capslock key is no substitute for natural dialogue and well-chosen verbs and nouns! My two cents.