Contractions are visual representations of sounds. They are not words. There is no word "can't" nor there is a "won't". Think of it that way and you will understand the rule. And you already know this rule - "dialogue and personal speech you can write any way you like, because this is the way your character speaks."
Now, what is narration? Answer this question and you will know when you can use contractions in narration.
When you narrate the story as The Author, then no contractions can be used. Because The Author speaks the Grammatically Correct Textbook Language. Contractions are the way some people mispronounce words (a contraction means two words were fused together into a shortened mutant of a thing).
Contractions are not the way to speak properly. You will never hear a public speaker use contractions and you will never see contractions in official papers.
Only first person narratives can use contractions anytime and anywhere. Because contractions represent a personal preference in speaking.
Every time you use a contraction, this is a representation of somebody's individual way of speaking. In a piece of creative writing that "somebody" can be either The Author either The Character. But The Author should never put his voice into somebody else's story. Unless the Author Is The Character, as is in memoirs, the Author should be invisible.
Third person narration means the Author can read the characters thoughts and therefore, in rare occasions, when the "voice" of the story demands it, the Author can put in writing exactly what he "hears" from his character. These are most often the occasions of direct representation of the characters thoughts. Check out Stephen King books/stories and see how he deals with it, he often re-tells in narration what his character was thinking.
Most third person narratives, though, are told from an independent "eye in the sky" which speaks The Grammatically Correct Textbook Language. Check Robert Jordan for that.
Now, what is narration? Answer this question and you will know when you can use contractions in narration.
When you narrate the story as The Author, then no contractions can be used. Because The Author speaks the Grammatically Correct Textbook Language. Contractions are the way some people mispronounce words (a contraction means two words were fused together into a shortened mutant of a thing).
Contractions are not the way to speak properly. You will never hear a public speaker use contractions and you will never see contractions in official papers.
Only first person narratives can use contractions anytime and anywhere. Because contractions represent a personal preference in speaking.
Every time you use a contraction, this is a representation of somebody's individual way of speaking. In a piece of creative writing that "somebody" can be either The Author either The Character. But The Author should never put his voice into somebody else's story. Unless the Author Is The Character, as is in memoirs, the Author should be invisible.
Third person narration means the Author can read the characters thoughts and therefore, in rare occasions, when the "voice" of the story demands it, the Author can put in writing exactly what he "hears" from his character. These are most often the occasions of direct representation of the characters thoughts. Check out Stephen King books/stories and see how he deals with it, he often re-tells in narration what his character was thinking.
Most third person narratives, though, are told from an independent "eye in the sky" which speaks The Grammatically Correct Textbook Language. Check Robert Jordan for that.
