Ok, hive, another fiction related question

[Marlboroughlights1]

Dear amazing, helpful bunch,

My novel drags on. Another week, another draft.

One quick question

1959 ' I shall...' or 'I will' (I'll)...in dialogue? I've mixed it up. But now I'm wondering if it's always I shall...

Thanks xx

Shall and will mean different things. What are you trying to decide?

"You shall go to the ball" = you can/you are able to/you are allowed to go to the ball.

"you will go to the ball" = either a statement of fact, or a degree of compulsion involved. (You will go to the ball, because I say so)

Best instructive example I've seen: 'No one shall help me. I will drown.' v 'No one will help me. I shall drown.'

No doubt you can find the rules that (used to, mostly) govern the usage easily. If you're really serious about writing it would do no harm to have a copy of Fowler anyway.

You're right that period makes a difference but I think social class would too and I know the form of English does; 'will', especially, is used differently in Hibernian English from UK English.

Thanks so much, that's really helpful