Hehehehehe

[Anthony]

I'm having a wonderful time reading. Thank you all.

One thing I've found several authors do is to use Hehe to indicate when the subkect finds something funny or wants something to be taken ironically. I think that it really is an inadequate way to say something; it's a sort of shorthand for what ought to be explained. When I try to think what the author meant I sometimes can put other words in place of Hehehe but sometimes I can't and sometimes I think that it would just be better left out.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Anthony

[AFriendlyFace]

I'm having a wonderful time reading. Thank you all.

One thing I've found several authors do is to use Hehe to indicate when the subkect finds something funny or wants something to be taken ironically. I think that it really is an inadequate way to say something; it's a sort of shorthand for what ought to be explained. When I try to think what the author meant I sometimes can put other words in place of Hehehe but sometimes I can't and sometimes I think that it would just be better left out.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Anthony

Hey Anthony! Welcome to GA! It's awesome having you here and I'm glad you're having fun!

 

Hmm, personally I can't recall any examples of our writers using "hehehe" (and obviously they're better left unexplicitly cited), but I think that would definitely irk me! It would probably kill the mood for me, and shatter the little world I'd created in my head.

 

Have an awesome day and take care!

Kevin

[jfalkon]

I know exactly what you are talking about. Until I started reading stories on GA I never saw "hehehe" anywhere in anyone's writing. At first it seemed like a cute local thing. A few long stories later I was perfectly anoyed. We all have our bad habbits but I think that one might be contagious since it happens on GA more than anywhere else. Thanks for pointing it out. Now that it has been talked about maybe people will do it less.

[Conner]

It doesn't bother me in the least.

 

Conner

[Graeme]

Shorthand like that tends to annoy me, but not really that much.

 

The easiest way to avoid it is to not treat it as dialogue, but use some narration. "X chuckled." "X snickered." "X laughed". "X smiled." "X was amused." etc.

[C James]

I'm having a wonderful time reading. Thank you all.

One thing I've found several authors do is to use Hehe to indicate when the subkect finds something funny or wants something to be taken ironically. I think that it really is an inadequate way to say something; it's a sort of shorthand for what ought to be explained. When I try to think what the author meant I sometimes can put other words in place of Hehehe but sometimes I can't and sometimes I think that it would just be better left out.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Anthony

 

No offense meant to any author who does this, but I agree with Anthony (and welcome to GA!!).

 

"Hehe" and other online terms (from chat, would be my guess) are things I'd never put in one of my own stories, for the reasons you cite. As Graeme said, the narration is the place for it.

 

After all, how often do people actually say "hehe" in conversation? And if they aren't actually saying it, it has no place in the dialog.

Just my opinion...

[Bondwriter]

Here is something I got from a reader, who also writes and draws manga-style comics, hence the advice is not exactly relevant to text-only stories, but this had the merit of having me think about it. (I had spelled the laughter "Ah, ah!" as we do in French.) I got a smile out of this.

 

Laughter in English 101 :

You can't go wrong with plain old "ha! Ha! Ha!", only vary the vowel length, or it looks creepy and robotic. So more like "hahahaaahaa !"

"Hee hee hee", more high-pitched laughter. Could be girlish laughter, or laughter of a mischievous kid. Also the cackling of a slightly unbalanced person (ie, a nutcase)

"Nyahahahahaa !", that would be the typical laugh of a comic book villain, or an insane scientist about to create life with his toaster and last week's dinner.

"Bwahahaahaaa !!", that's boisterous laughter. Really loud and a little obnoxious.

"Heh heh", that's more of a chuckle.

"Ho ho ho", only used by fat guys with big white beards and red fur coats.

Avoid at all costs.

And this is new, not used often yet : "ke ke ke", this is kind of a subdued sort of laughing. Like you're trying to keep it in.

[AFriendlyFace]

No offense meant to any author who does this, but I agree with Anthony (and welcome to GA!!).

 

"Hehe" and other online terms (from chat, would be my guess) are things I'd never put in one of my own stories, for the reasons you cite. As Graeme said, the narration is the place for it.

 

After all, how often do people actually say "hehe" in conversation? And if they aren't actually saying it, it has no place in the dialog.

Just my opinion...

Well said, CJ!

 

 

 

Here is something I got from a reader, who also writes and draws manga-style comics, hence the advice is not exactly relevant to text-only stories, but this had the merit of having me think about it. (I had spelled the laughter "Ah, ah!" as we do in French.) I got a smile out of this.

 

Laughter in English 101 :

You can't go wrong with plain old "ha! Ha! Ha!", only vary the vowel length, or it looks creepy and robotic. So more like "hahahaaahaa !"

"Hee hee hee", more high-pitched laughter. Could be girlish laughter, or laughter of a mischievous kid. Also the cackling of a slightly unbalanced person (ie, a nutcase)

"Nyahahahahaa !", that would be the typical laugh of a comic book villain, or an insane scientist about to create life with his toaster and last week's dinner.

"Bwahahaahaaa !!", that's boisterous laughter. Really loud and a little obnoxious.

"Heh heh", that's more of a chuckle.

"Ho ho ho", only used by fat guys with big white beards and red fur coats.

Avoid at all costs.

And this is new, not used often yet : "ke ke ke", this is kind of a subdued sort of laughing. Like you're trying to keep it in.

 

 

I love this! Again though I think it's more appropriate for IMs, Emails, or text messages, versus actual stories. I think CJ and Graeme are right; instead of using "ke ke ke" in a story I think "Tom smiled and his eyes lit up as he tried to muffle his laughter" works better.

 

Just my thoughts,

Kevin

[BeaStKid]

I'll follow the middle path--->

 

It depends upon the author and also on the way the story has been written. Although I would prefer not to use them in any of my writings, I have nothing against an author using these phrases. Neither do I have any problem in reading them, but I recommend writers to avoid it as much as they can.

 

The BeaStKid

[C James]

One other thing to bear in mind; in professional writing, either fiction or non-fiction, this would be utterly frowned upon. If it was part of an English literature assignment, it would be a speedy way to a failing grade.

 

In a casual conversation, such as chat or a forum post, it's certainly acceptable in most cases, and as Bondwriter pointed out, it is acceptable in a comic book.

 

Where you won't find it is in professional literature. I'll also point of that it is against the rules of grammar; if it's not what the character is actually saying, it does not belong withing the quotation marks. If instead it is meant to describe that the character is doing, it is, quite properly, narration.

 

I'll shut up now, LoL after mentioning that like hehe, LoL might be acceptable in a forum post, but not in a published novel.

[BeaStKid]

When you put it that way, CJ...I have to agree with you. Yep, I too think that 'hehe' should be used only if the character is hehe-ing in the dialogue and not otherwise.

 

But what about first person narrative??? Then again, narratives should not contain hehe's...lol

[Bondwriter]

The example I gave comes from a guy who uses the manga trick of filling in the page with lots of little bits of text for humorous intent, or for characterization. (see below) This wouldn't work in a novel or text-only story.

 

In a story you can use words to carry the same ideas. There are many ways to convey the sounds of a voice, and many verbs to describe the laughing sounds. To laugh, chuckle, chortle, etc. Of course, to be used sparingly; a simple "he laughed" making the trick.

 

Copyright C-Boy

[colinian]

I'm having a wonderful time reading. Thank you all.

One thing I've found several authors do is to use Hehe to indicate when the subkect finds something funny or wants something to be taken ironically. I think that it really is an inadequate way to say something; it's a sort of shorthand for what ought to be explained. When I try to think what the author meant I sometimes can put other words in place of Hehehe but sometimes I can't and sometimes I think that it would just be better left out.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Anthony

 

I agree with you, and I almost never use Hehehe or anything like it in stories. The exception was "Bwaa ha! ha! ha! haa!", which I used in one place in one story because that's what I wanted that character to say and couldn't find any other way to do it. Use of this kind of "shorthand" is called onomatopoeia:

on