Where do you stand on this classic debate. This is not in reference to your professional emails in work or your text messages to friends but it is in reference to street and business posts. 

Vote A: Johnny ran up the stairs. Hi everyone, I am Johnny and I run upstairs.

Vote B: Johnny ran up the stairs. "Hi everyone, I am Johnny and I run upstairs." 

Vote C: Johnny ran up the stairs. "Hi everyone, I am Johnny and I run upstairs." 

Please support your vote for a chance to win a tip by yours truly anonymously. 

Personally, My favorite is A. 

Tally Count 

 

A: 1

B: 0

C: 0 

Same:

A = 1 

B = 0

C= 0

LOL really hope I typed the reply correctly! Crosses fingers and toes....

Assuming A is supposed to also have quotation marks:

Tally Count 

 

A: 3

B: 0

C: 0 

Why is there an option to just type normally? Why do you need italics? How bad are you at dialog that you need to highlight what is not dialog so people are aware where the interesting words are? 

If I am forced to pick only from these options, It's B. But I would rather have an option D: Write like a normal person because there's no purpose to extreme italics. 

In any type of literature, where there is dialogue, it is in quotes. That is simply the grammatically correct way of doing things and opinions as to whether or not it is preferable are irrelevant. Now, I understand, that in these days of text messaging and Twitter, where capitalizing names and using punctuation are a bridge too far for many, that may seem like absurd logic. Personally, I do not enjoy looking like an uneducated jackass. I am quite content being an educated jackass.

As far as using italics, that is more subject to opinion. I usually use italics to describe actions or settings when writing in a roleplaying format. I just feel it makes the writing more reader-friendly. However, there is no right or wrong way in that regard. At the end of the day, so long as you use spacing, your text is not a squashed up shitstorm of run-on sentences, and proper (at least mildly adequate) punctuation is used, I will not complain.

I'd be inclined to say B. Where that tends to be the "normal" way of writing offsite.  You speak, it's in quotes.  Regular text is in regular  type. 

I'm inclined to agree with Skidmark if we assume we are discuss the streets then by default we are speaking to the people in the streets, to me that is just text however if I were to place a poster on the streetlamp it would be italics before I read it out as an example. The actions or thoughts are italics the speaking is well just the speaking so plain text. Each to their own I guess. 

i was tought by former CL and consigliere and underbosses when i first started posting and making stories that speaking was to be in quotes and actions were to be in italics. it makes the writing flow and makes it easier to read and distinguish whats taking place and does not apper to be blocky. it inclines the reader to read more.