I have a couple of quick questions; firstly, what is ya'll's opinion on our resident seller of apples and apple products? More specifically, on her accent. In the show Applejack is depicted with a southern, Appalachian accent, with a lot of "ya'll"s and "howdy"s and "sugercube"s. In a visual or auditory format such as a video or radio play, it's pretty easy to get such an accent across. Much harder in a written medium such as a comic or fanfiction.
This is how I currently write AJ's accents; "Howdy sugercube, Ah am jus' plum tickled that ya'll would visit us here at Sweet Apple Acres!" I'm pretty satisfied with everything in that sentence except one thing, the way she says "I". Writing it this way can be a bit of a hassle, and I want to know if anyone has any opinion on how her accent sounds best. Do I keep writing "I" as "Ah", or is it better to stick to the grammatically correct way and let the reader determine on their own what her accent sounds like?

Second question: I have been inserting links to various soundtracks, theme songs, and other related YouTube videos in various places in my stories in an attempt to help set the mood and tone of what's happening in the story. Does anyone actually click on those? Are they a distraction, or a help in reading a story? Can you even tell when someone inserts a link like so? Give me your thoughts and opinions, as I attempt to hone my writing style and work to publish more chapters.

5025415
Personally, I write AJ by just dropping the "g" from the ends of words, using informal spellings like "gotta" and "wanna," and plenty of words like "ain't" and "y'all" and "reckon." I never use "Ah" or " o' ", myself, and I find them distracting.

And in terms of links in a story, I find them distracting. As a write, things like the mood and tone should be things you're trying to set with the words you use and the way you describe things. Asking people to click a link is kind of asking someone else to do part of your job for you.

Edit: Sample of my AJ dialogue:

“I’m glad ya’ came by, I was gonna send Apple Bloom with a note.” Applejack hoisted a bushel onto her back and headed to the next tree. “The timberwolves were howlin’ last night, so the zap apples are comin’ and I’m busy as a bee at a flower stall. I’m gonna have to reschedule.” She paused and looked up at the branches.

5025487 It means a lot that you would take the time to reply to my post. You are one of my favorite authors on the site, and your opinion means a great deal to me. Thank you

5025415
I'm with 5025487 .

I'd avoid "Ah" for "I"; beyond taking things too far and being distracting (and making things significantly harder to read), "ah" is generally pronounced very different from how Applejack pronounces "I". Really, the rest of her speech gives you some idea of how she should sound.

Also, sugar cube is (technically speaking) two words when referring to the object, but one word when referring to the corner. Yes, I know. If you spell sugar cube as sugarcube, you are, "technically", wrong. That said, I doubt anyone is going to care.

Spelling it sugercube is always going to be wrong, though.

Another important thing: Applejack not only speaks dialectically, but she loves using countryisms and similies (and especially similies that are countryisms). This is an excellent way to insert humor into her dialogue.

5025632 Good advice! I appreciate the feedback

5025518
More than welcome. I like to toss in my opinion when I can. (I apologize for the typos in it, while I was typing it my daughter decided it was time for bed and tried to climb in my lap.)

5025632

I'm with >> bookplayer .

You would be, since we write practically the same AJ.