A poll about spelling sneezes

[murphy dee]

This is my first poll so I'm anxious to see if I've done this correctly.

Anyway, I just wanted to gauge the forum's opinion on this topic. I, personally, prefer unspelled sneezes in a story (though I do like spelled as well, don't get me wrong), though I'm pretty darn sure that's not the norm around here (which is mostly why I spell sneezes in the stories I write).

Well, I thought maybe I could ask in order to figure out just what the norm is and just how prevalent of a preference it is. FOR SCIENCE! Or, err, just for my own curiosity really. Though maybe others are also curious, who knows.

If your opinion isn't a choice in the poll, go ahead and leave a comment if you want to and explain.

[Vetinari]

I like to see them spelled out, though just occasionally, some of the more bizarre spellings just make me wonder because even though it's obviously hard to spell, there are some letters that make no sense to me. I also like the word "sneeze" though in texts, and obviously in the years before the internet existed, it was very rare to find a spelled out sneeze in books and so on, and I still enjoyed any description I could find.

[Spoo]

I like them both spelled out AND not spelled out. I mean, spelling out sneezes can be pretty tedious sometimes. Especially if you're an OCD writer like me and don't want all of them to be spelled the same. I don't mind if, say, there's a fit or something and the author chooses not to spell every single sneeze out. I like a healthy balance of both.

[Hedgehog]

I picked *other* because I can only enjoy sneezing (spelled or not) combined with an illness. So allergy or induced stories leave me completely untouched. Or they must be really, really well written to attract me.

[Chanel_no5]

I like them both spelled out AND not spelled out. I mean, spelling out sneezes can be pretty tedious sometimes. Especially if you're an OCD writer like me and don't want all of them to be spelled the same. I don't mind if, say, there's a fit or something and the author chooses not to spell every single sneeze out. I like a healthy balance of both.

Annnnnd I have nothing more to add.

[March Hare]

I voted "prefer to see them spelled out", but actually I like it most when every once in a while they're not. Basically, what Spoo said. So... I voted wrong.

[OCC]

I like when they are spelled out, but I dislike it when an author spells each sneeze the same.

[6DDDDDD6]

I like to see them spelled out. When done correctly it really adds a visual element for me, and I can imagine the sneeze and the person(s) etc. Much better in my mind.

[polychrome]

I prefer simple or easily imagined spellings rather than treacherously complex and tortured consonant soup. Or the word sneeze with nicely descriptive words around it. Artistic descriptions more than spellings.

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

I voted "prefer to see them spelled out", but actually I like it most when every once in a while they're not. Basically, what Spoo said. So... I voted wrong.

You are not alone! I did the same thing

[LoveFemaleSneezes]

Yeah gotta agree with the majority, rather see them spelled out in stories. Makes it way easier to picture in the minds eye.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

I prefer simple or easily imagined spellings rather than treacherously complex and tortured consonant soup. Or the word sneeze with nicely descriptive words around it. Artistic descriptions more than spellings.

Ditto.

[SapphireSong]

I prefer when they are spelled out, but I am extremely picky about the spellings I like. So I guess I can like or dislike either way. xD

[Shay]

I usually prefer the sneezes to be spelled out so long as it isn't just a simple "achoo", which won't really do anything for me, or some other spelling that I would find unattractive. Hard to give an example of what kinds of spellings I'd find unattractive off the top of my head, but it's just one of those things that I'll know it when I see it.

I find that I can also enjoy stories where the sneezes aren't spelled out if enough description is given as to what the sneeze is like. Sometimes it can even be better that way because then I can picture in my head more exactly how I want it to sound.

I almost feel a bit like a hypocrite with my preferences because although I used to spell sneezes out in my writing, at a certain point I just felt like I couldn't be bothered with it anymore. I just found spelling out sneezes to be extremely tedious, especially when trying to include lots of variations. I also discovered that I found describing the sneezes to be much more satisfying to me as a writer and when writing a very descriptive sneeze scene with no spellings was the only time I ever got turned on by my own writing.

The only tricky bit if you don't do spellings is how to write someone trying to talk through a sneezing fit. I decided that it just looked really stupid inserting the word "sneeze" every time someone sneezed repeatedly in the middle of trying to talk so I opt for putting in "..." in place of a sneeze. An example of this would be something like, "I'm sorry... I just can't... stop sneezing... I think I might... be allergic to your perfume." Though I guess this can get confusing because I also use the "..." to specify a pause or someone just trailing off when they are speaking so I guess the reader just has to go by context to figure out which instances are sneezes.

[fufufufu]

I voted "prefer both ways equally" because it really depends on the story. I tend to prefer seeing sneezes spelled out, but I've read some really great stories where they weren't. If the author can

I also don't always mind when sneezes are spelled the same within a story. Sometimes that can get tedious, but it can also be kind of realistic IMO - in real life I've heard people who sneeze pretty much the same way several times in a row, with such minor differences that it's not worth all kinds of contortions of spelling.

[kendisima]

I like spelled-out and not spelled-out, because on occasion the spellings can be a HUGE turn-off (especially when they're really drawn-out spellings-- I can never imagine these, and they end up feeling cartoony or faked). So I guess I'm just super picky!

[snzynosey]

definitely spelled out I can imagine them then

[Steelswarm]

I like to see them spelled out. When done correctly it really adds a visual element for me, and I can imagine the sneeze and the person(s) etc. Much better in my mind.

Exactly my thoughts, i can visualize the scene better in my mind as well, so spelled sneezes for me

[RachTheCool]

Can someone help me on how to spell a certain type of sneeze?

[murphy dee]

On 1/20/2017 at 9:18 PM, RachTheCool said:

Can someone help me on how to spell a certain type of sneeze?

I would suggest creating your own post for this instead of bumping this 4-year-old post of mine lmao...

[Anonymouse]

On 1/20/2017 at 10:18 PM, RachTheCool said:

Can someone help me on how to spell a certain type of sneeze?

There's also some topics floating around with sneeze spelling suggestions - I'd check the general discussion forum for those.

[RachTheCool]

41 minutes ago, AnonyMouse said:

There's also some topics floating around with sneeze spelling suggestions - I'd check the general discussion forum for those.

Whoops, everyone starts replying to me when i already have it figured out...

[Bleh]

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I hate seeing sneezes getting spelled out.  It's absolutely cringe-worthy to me. (This might be because nose blowing is my primary fetish, but I'm okay with describing sneezes without spelling them.)