Ellipses Use

[Ishvke]

Like the people above me, I agree that using multiple ellipses consecutively is ridiculous. Also, I absolutely hate it when ellipses comprise the entire dialogue box. Like what is the point of that? (This is mostly just a personal pet peeve, though). Although I'm nonchalant about ellipses used in the middle of dialogue, especially to show hesitation, the drawing out of a thought, etc., when "..." is the only thing a character says at once, it frustrates me to no end. The author could have used descriptive phrases or sth, such as "he hesitated before replying" , "they stay silent", or "she doesn't answer immediately". But nope. The way so many VN writers abuse ellipses is getting a little ridiculous at this point. Another thing I've seen done was ellipses being used to represent time passing. Like, I'm sorry, but what? Why, just why? I don't even--

So, er, yeah. #endrant

[Rossfellow]

Like what is the point of that?

In traditional writing media, yes, misplaced, reckless use of ellipses can make a sentence or train of thought feel awkward. However, in the context of Visual Novels(particularly the classic Sprite/Text formula), using ellipses by themselves have a bit of magic to them. It'd be a shame to waste the potential of a powerful VN tool because we're so glued to perceiving it as something to avoid in a regular novel.

How is it done, exactly?

By using sprite transitions! Here are examples.
-->
In its most basic form, without changing sprites, ". . ." turns into mild hesitation.

-->
With a properly executed sprite transition, ". . ." now becomes surprise.

-->
With a different sprite, ". . ." becomes panic or astonishment.

-->
...Or even outrage.

The best part is, none of the examples I have given is a set-in-stone usage. The same transitions can become anything else as long as the context you give it holds water. Unlike the Developer(s), your reader does not see your VN as a collection of assets, but as a single linear experience. They will not care if your ". . ." makes your writing feel amateurish. If it achieves its desired effect, it's done its job.

PS: If a picture is worth a thousand words, then ". . ." with a proper transition will easily save you a few hundred.

[meiri]

By using sprite transitions! Here are examples.

Ooh, This is an interesting way of using ellipses. I've never really thought about her a character's expression can change the reader's perception. (Though I suppose that's one of the most important aspects of a /visual/ novel...) Thank you for the input (and everyone else too)

[Mad Harlequin]

Ross, you make excellent points. But as effective as ellipses-only lines can be in certain situations, I'm not sure that too many people understand when not to use them. I've seen too many silences reduced to ellipses. We ought to be as prudent as possible with something meant to be a subtle, yet powerful tool.

[Rossfellow]

Ross, you make excellent points. But as effective as ellipses-only lines can be in certain situations, I'm not sure that too many people understand when not to use them. I've seen too many silences reduced to ellipses. We ought to be as prudent as possible with something meant to be a subtle, yet powerful tool.

Correct. But that comes with experience in mastering the craft, or developing an eye for timing.

Personally I would use "........." to denote silence or pause in an ongoing conversation that's viewed from a neutral third person. This way, no one is inside anyone's head. Descriptions are observations, after all. A descriptive viewpoint would be first person, or omniscient.

Yuna: "Let's go see the fireworks!"
Luna: "Yaaay! Fireworks!"
Nancy: "Alright, count me in!"
Mitchi: ". . . . ."
Yuna: "What's wrong, Mitchi?"
Mitchi: "I don't like fireworks."

This exchange is purely seen from the eyes of a neutral observer- It puts you in a position near the group but it doesn't look into their thoughts. It simply plays out the scene as-is.

Yuna: "Let's go see the fireworks!"
Luna: "Yaaay! Fireworks!"
Nancy: "Alright, count me in!"
n: "Despite the group's excitement, Mitchi stays quiet, looking shyly away."
Yuna: "What's wrong, Mitchi?"
Mitchi: "I don't like fireworks."

The underline is for the phrase that describes the pause/silence. This one puts you in the eyes of an involved observer. Whether it's someone from the group or the thoughts of a bystander, the point is that the event is being seen from someone's eyes.

Both can be used for good effect, of course, but it's highly subject to the context and execution.

[theSardonyx]

Personally I would use "........." to denote silence or pause in an ongoing conversation that's viewed from a neutral third person. This way, no one is inside anyone's head. Descriptions are observations, after all. A descriptive viewpoint would be first person, or omniscient.

Yuna: "Let's go see the fireworks!"
Luna: "Yaaay! Fireworks!"
Nancy: "Alright, count me in!"
Mitchi: ". . . . ."
Yuna: "What's wrong, Mitchi?"
Mitchi: "I don't like fireworks."

This exchange is purely seen from the eyes of a neutral observer- It puts you in a position near the group but it doesn't look into their thoughts. It simply plays out the scene as-is.

Yuna: "Let's go see the fireworks!"
Luna: "Yaaay! Fireworks!"
Nancy: "Alright, count me in!"
n: "Despite the group's excitement, Mitchi stays quiet, looking shyly away."
Yuna: "What's wrong, Mitchi?"
Mitchi: "I don't like fireworks."

The underline is for the phrase that describes the pause/silence. This one puts you in the eyes of an involved observer. Whether it's someone from the group or the thoughts of a bystander, the point is that the event is being seen from someone's eyes.

Both can be used for good effect, of course, but it's highly subject to the context and execution.

^ This.

Also, ellipses can be used to signify a lag in thought. For example, somebody says a joke, a pun, or even an insult and the MC doesn't get it at first. Plus, it adds to hilarity.

Liz: Tell Gil if you need anything okay? He's a very reliable older brother.
Gil: I'm an awesome older brother!
Liz: But remember to speak slowly because he's a bit of an idiot.
Gil: That's right!
Gil: ...
Gil: Wait...
Gil: Did you just call me an idiot?!
Liz: See?

[verysunshine]

I've forbidden myself from using "..." as a line of dialogue. The only time I've used it (so far) is when my first-person narrator, when it replaced "I think over her point."

[SinSisters]

I like seeing all the different opinions on this topic! While I don't think I overuse ellipses in traditional writing, I find myself taking advantage of their use in Visual Novels. See, I love describing how a character says something, or how they look when they something, in line with the dialogue. I think that the majority of emotions conveyed by somebody are through their tone and facial/body posture. We can use sprites to help describe these in writing VNs (especially if you using sprites that contrast the dialogue. That way the reader can draw their own conclusion.)

But I find that I tend to use ellipses for pauses. Not any specific kind of pause, and not a pause that you would think about in a conversation, but the type of pause that you would put in scriptwriting. And I don't know what other approaches except for using ellipses could be used for cases like those, as I don't want to convey any of the characters' thoughts.

I'm about to start editing a whole whack of writing for it, though, so with this advice in mind, I think that I can perhaps insert observations as to sensory details (I suck at including sensory details on the first go. Well, that's why we have editing!)

-Nat

[OokamiKasumi]

An ellipses (...) is supposed to stand for Omitted, Skipped, or Swapped words.

"She has huuuuge...tracks of land."
"Wow, she's built like a brick...house."
"You sorry son of a...!"
"He's a complete ass...hat."

When a sentence is suddenly Cut Off without finishing, you're supposed to use an em dash (--).

"Last summer while I was in band camp-- Oh, sorry."

However, the em dash can also be used in place of parentheses (), commas (,), colons (:), and the missing part of a word.

"The werewolf bit the villager--completely by accident."
"Lord Q-- of U-- castle had no idea that the full moon would affect him that strongly."
"It happened so fast! I really was--rather foolishly--unprepared."

Ellipses are Not supposed to be used for Pauses. That is Japanese grammar, not English grammar. This bad habit of using an ellipses (or multiple ellipses) to indicate a pause, or unspoken words was adopted from amateur fan-subbed games, and manga. It's perfectly understandable, really. There just wasn't anything else to put in those text boxes and dialogue bubbles, so they stayed.

So, what do we do grammatically in English when we want to indicate a Pause? We don't, seriously. English does not have a punctuation mark for pauses other than the comma (,). As an example, classic comic books handle such pauses in dialogue by simply letting an image stand by itself without even a speech bubble.

Now that I've said all that, I'm also going to say: Write as you like.

Sure, those of us that know how an ellipses and an em dash should be used will likely cringe when we see you abusing punctuation in such a manner, but that shouldn't stop you from expressing yourself the way you feel most comfortable. After all, it's Your creation.

[SinSisters]

I make use of em dashes, but I think that having ellipses certainly aids writing, even if it's used incorrectly. It's a good way to state that a character trails off their sentence without having the narrator explicitly saying so.

-Nat

[PyTom]

Just to clarify, an emdash is U+2014 (—), not U+002D repeated (--).

[Taleweaver]

"She has...vast tracks of land."

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "She's rich. She's absolutely gorgeous. She's got huuuuuge... tracts of land."

One of the best examples of using ellipses for comedy.

[OokamiKasumi]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "She's rich. She's absolutely gorgeous. She's got huuuuuge... tracts of land."

One of the best examples of using ellipses for comedy.

Agreed!
-- My apologies for not getting it quite right. It's been many, many years since I last saw the Holy Grail.

[Kate]

Ellipses are Not supposed to be used for Pauses. That is Japanese grammar, not English grammar. This bad habit of using an ellipses (or multiple ellipses) to indicate a pause, or unspoken words was adopted from amateur fan-subbed VNs, and manga. It's perfectly understandable, really. There just wasn't anything else to put in those text boxes and dialogue bubbles, so they stayed.

Now I totally understand why Voltage games are so saturated with the pauses. It makes more sense to me in Manga rather than in the visual games, since Voltage typically has three sprite poses or so per character, and sparse CG's; it lacks the personalized face change with the ellipses that Rossfellow posted as an example above that even Manga has. (Though Manga, of course, is all different images and scenes rather than repeated settings and poses.)

I agree with most of the comments about ellipses- they can be tedious or amazing based upon how often you use them and for what purpose. I myself prefer sparse ellipses, and usually in context of a dialogue or a shock reaction.

(And... please don't jump on me for referencing Voltage... *nervous laughter* they were the first visual novels I was exposed to, quite by chance.)