Hi, I'm writing a children's/young adults fantasy fiction book and I was wondering whether it's ok to use words like 'didn't, wouldn't, couldn't' in the writing outside of dialogue? Using 'do not' all the time feels a little unnatural, but does it look unprofessional?
I don't use contractions in text, I do use them in speech. (And I use them when a character is thinking, which I usually put in italics rather than as quoted speech.)
That goes back to my schooling, probably. Also, I write my stories third person most of the time. Where a story is done first person and the character is the narrator, I think it's more reasonable to use contractions in text. (And have, I think.) A lot of YA fiction is done first person, so if your character would use contractions when thinking or speaking, I think it's fine to use them in text.
These days I would generally use shortened forms for pretty much everything. By chance I have just picked up a Victorian "casual/magazine" text - it's like wading through slow setting concrete.
In general I think that it is best to go for one form and stick with it...
That said - if you usually use a short form you can occasionaly add stress by using the long form... e.g. "do not do that" has a clear stress compared to "don't do that".
something similar can work in reverse if you want to speed up a piece of text - although - these are mainly in speech rather than the general text.
:-)
Do not; is not, will not, etc, is more formal.
Don't; won't, can't isn't, etc, is more casual.
It depends who the character is talking to, and how they, or you wish to present them.
A college teacher could be formal, to indicate their level of intelligence, whereas a friend could be more casual.
Or you could use a formal; "I do not wish to talk about it," to give more emphasis to your statement.
Regards MN