Quite a few readers of BAD CALL have mentioned the absence of question marks. Many have rightly assumed it was because the questions I was asking were really rhetorical or simply internalized. But there are parts with dialog where I don't use them either. I guess once I'd decided to scratch this punctuation for the most part, I felt like I could just keep going.
But then I was thinking that the point of the narration was to make it feel as if I were telling these stories to friends or roommates or family members. And it struck me that when you're telling a tale to someone orally -- there IS no punctuation. And yet, questions come across as questions as clear as day. How is this possible. Why does it happen. Where do I get off with this effrontery. Who told me it was ok. When will it all end.
Oh yeah -- almost every question gives itself away right up front. So why wait for a "?".