Now, you may point out that classic books often don’t follow this rule - that’s because dialogue conventions have changed over time. Here’s an example from Jane Gardam’s short story, “Dangers”, in which the boy Jake is shooting an imaginary gun at his grandmother: Sometimes they correlate with actual sentences, sometimes they don’t. Dialogue “beats” can be understood as the short phrases in speech that you can say without pausing for breath. Outlined by screenwriter Cynthia Whitcomb, the Three-Beat Rule advises writers to have a maximum of three dialogue beats at a time, after which you should insert a dialogue tag, action beat, or another character’s speech. On Dialogue and Characterization… (katyupperman.Click to tweet! 2.Basic Tips for Writing Dialogue Tags ().The road to hell is paved with adverbs ().It will feel more natural and it will make you feel better about yourself. Learn everything you can about the craft, but when it comes down to it write the way you want. My point is, as I said in a previous post, don’t let someone else dictate how you write. Sometimes we have to use adverbs to successfully set the mood and tone. For instance, sometimes people talk quietly without whispering or murmuring or muttering. Adverbs can be overused, I won’t deny it. The last “rule” I will mention in regards to dialogue tags is that many people say don’t use adverbs to modify the tag. If the scene is supposed to be quick-paced, saying that a character hissed something is much better than trying to describe minute facial expressions (though of course, I’m sure someone excels at describing those expressions and keeping the tension of the scene up – but it isn’t me).
While that is up for debate (I mean, we don’t growl like dogs do but we have equivalent vocalizations), these tags can add to the story. Many of the people who are making up these rules say that we shouldn’t use these tags because people cannot hiss, growl, or snarl.
As in, don’t use tags like hiss, growl, snarl, and so on. And, if someone is twenty feet away, they don’t speak at a normal tone (which is how said is in my mind) so you need something different (like called or yelled – though yelled to me expresses a different emotion as well).Īnother “rule” that I dislike is not using tags that cannot be done. By the same token, I love reading books that use all sorts of dialogue tags – I really think it helps to express the mood and tone. It can help us be more conscious of showing readers how characters feel (by giving more description of their actions) and I will admit, I’ve read books that only use said and it doesn’t bother me, as a reader. Rule number one that irks me is “only use said.” On the one hand, I can see the value of this.
#Dialogue tags rules how to#
Sure, there are really good articles and posts about how to IMPROVE your writing, but strict rules aren’t going to do it. Who should be telling me how to write? Me. There are as many different styles as there are writers. Let me tell you, some of these “rules” really tick me off!įirst of all, writing isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it means words like said and whispered that come before or after dialogue. Everywhere I look, people are making rules about dialogue tags.
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