hazel-eyeddaydreamer

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

I'm just now discovering that there are people who genuinely think "distemper" in your feline innoculations is the same as "Temperament."

I can't tell which is worse. Thinking you can control your cat's personality- essentially lobotomize your cat via vaccine or not knowing the dangerous of the Distemper disease.

For those who need to know this.

Distemper has nothing to do with your cat's personality. It's a disease with many other frightening names that resembles a bad stomach bug or flu. What makes it dangerous is the cat dehydrates very quickly (even if you're constantly giving them water) and there's a high fatality rate.

It's essentially deadly flu and it's VERY contagious. Most cats die within twenty-four-hours of showing symptoms. We humans are immune, our pets are not.

This is what you vaccinate your cat against, not bad behavior!

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

An old man I am friends with made these. They are pointillism done with pens, and take many many hours. He is very kind, and I am happy to know him. My friend cleans his house and I sit and talk to him.

He used to be a Disney animator. Before that he was a medic in the military. In his free time he helped perform emergency surgeries on trans people, usually kids, who would get beaten on the streets in California in the 70s. They did it in the back room of someone’s house because the kids couldn’t go to the hospital. He tells me stories like that, and then goes right to telling me the best ways to propagate sassafras, or how impossible it is to catch a spoonbill cat (which is a fish)

He gave me one of these and my friend the other. He says he can’t sell them because it hurts, he used to do commissions. But now he gives them away to people who spend time with him, as often as he can.

To you all, my friends, I encourage you to spend time with old folks if you can. I didn’t know his stories before sitting with him. My friend said “I have an old man I clean for who is a good artist and has blueberry bushes, you should come sit with him” and I did. And now it is one of my most beautiful friendships.

I know it feels like the most radical thing is protests, or fighting, or feeding people. And that is great. But sometimes it’s also just sitting and comforting a very old man

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Wlw cowgirls 🤠🤠 (x)

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Hi, so i writing a book based in the 1800s like the cowboy eras can you please tell me somethings I should keep in mind about the society and stuff also I need a little motivation I have been loosing it all please and thankyou <<<333

Writing Notes: Cowboys

Cowboy

In the western United States: a horseman skilled at handling cattle, an indispensable laborer in the cattle industry of the trans-Mississippi west, and a romantic figure in American folklore.

Pioneers from the United States encountered Mexican vaqueros (Spanish, literally, “cowboys”; English “buckaroos”) on ranches in Texas about 1820, and soon adopted their masterful skills and equipment—the use of lariat, saddle, spurs, and branding iron.

But cattle were only a small part of the economy of Texas until after the Civil War.

The development of a profitable market for beef in northern cities after 1865 prompted many Texans, including many formerly enslaved African Americans, to go into cattle raising. (Though they have been almost entirely excluded from the mythology of the American cowboy, it is estimated that Black cowboys accounted for nearly a quarter of all cattle workers in the nascent American West during the latter half of the 19th century.)

By the late 1800s, the lucrative cattle industry had spread across the Great Plains from Texas to Canada and westward to the Rocky Mountains.

Vaqueros

In 1519, shortly after the Spanish arrived in the Americas, they began to build ranches to raise cattle and other livestock. Horses were imported from Spain and put to work on the ranches.

Mexico’s native cowboys were called vaqueros, which comes from the Spanish word vaca (cow). Vaqueros were hired by ranchers to tend to the livestock and were known for their superior roping, riding and herding skills.

By the early 1700s, ranching made its way to present-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and as far south as Argentina. When the California missions started in 1769, livestock practices were introduced to more areas in the West.

During the early 1800s, many English-speaking settlers migrated to the West and adopted aspects of the vaquero culture, including their clothing style and cattle-driving methods.

Cowboys came from diverse backgrounds and included African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers from the eastern United States and Europe.

Cowboy Life

Cowboys were mostly young men who needed cash. The average cowboy in the West made about $25 to $40 a month.

In addition to herding cattle, they also helped care for horses, repaired fences and buildings, worked cattle drives and in some cases helped establish frontier towns.

Cowboys occasionally developed a bad reputation for being lawless, and some were banned from certain establishments.

They typically wore large hats with wide brims to protect them from the sun, boots to help them ride horses and bandanas to guard them from dust. Some wore chaps on the outsides of their trousers to protect their legs from sharp cactus needles and rocky terrain.

When they lived on a ranch, they shared a bunkhouse with each other. For entertainment, some sang songs, played the guitar or harmonica & wrote poetry.

Cowboys were referred to as cowpokes, buckaroos, cowhands and cowpunchers.

The most experienced cowboy was called the Segundo (Spanish for “second”) and rode squarely with the trail boss.

Everyday work was difficult and laborious for cowboys. Workdays lasted about 15 hours, and much of that time was spent on a horse or doing other physical labor.

Rodeo Cowboys

Some cowboys tested their skills against one another by performing in rodeos—competitions that were based on the daily tasks of a cowboy.

Rodeo activities included bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback bronco riding and barrel racing.

The first professional rodeo was held in Prescott, Arizona, in 1888. Since then, rodeos became—and continue to be—popular entertainment events in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.

Joseph G. McCoy offered the wealthy cattleman's vision of the cowboy. He recorded a reasonably balanced, if slightly condescending, views in his 1874 treatise on the cattle trade.

He lives hard, works hard, has but few comforts and fewer necessities. He has but little, if any, taste for reading. He enjoys a coarse practical joke or a smutty story; loves danger but abhors labor of the common kind; never tires riding, never wants to walk, no matter how short the distance he desires to go. He would rather fight with pistols than pray; loves tobacco, liquor and women better than any other trinity. His life borders nearly upon that of an Indian. If he reads anything, it is in most cases a blood and thunder story of a sensational style. He enjoys his pipe, and relishes a practical joke on his comrades, or a corrupt tale, wherein abounds much vulgarity and animal propensity.

Black Cowboys

African American horsemen who wrangled cattle in the western United States in the late 1800s and beyond.

Though they were almost entirely excluded from the mythology of the American cowboy, it is estimated that Black men accounted for nearly a quarter of all cattle workers in the nascent American West during the latter half of the 19th century.

In the years following the Civil War (1861–65) and emancipation from slavery, a budding ranching industry promised freedom and prosperity unknown to most Black Americans, many of whom were formerly enslaved themselves or were the children of enslaved parents.

Texas became part of the United States in 1845, and, by 1860, enslaved people accounted for 30 percent of the state’s population. Among them were some of the first Black cowboys: skilled laborers with experience in breaking horses and herding stock. Many were given the autonomy to work unsupervised, and some even carried guns.

The cowboy lifestyle came into its own in Texas, which had been cattle country since it was colonized by Spain in the 1500s. But cattle farming did not become the bountiful economic and cultural phenomenon recognized today until the late 1800s, when millions of cattle grazed in Texas.

White Americans seeking cheap land—and sometimes evading debt in the United States—began moving to the Spanish (and, later, Mexican) territory of Texas during the first half of the 19th century.

Though the Mexican government opposed slavery, Americans brought slaves with them as they settled the frontier and established cotton farms and cattle ranches.

By 1825, slaves accounted for nearly 25 percent of the Texas settler population.

By 1860, fifteen years after it became part of the Union, that number had risen to over 30 percent—that year’s census reported 182,566 slaves living in Texas.

As an increasingly significant new slave state, Texas joined the Confederacy in 1861. Though the Civil War hardly reached Texas soil, many white Texans took up arms to fight alongside their brethren in the East.

While Texas ranchers fought in the war, they depended on their slaves to maintain their land and cattle herds.

In doing so, the slaves developed the skills of cattle tending (breaking horses, pulling calves out of mud and releasing longhorns caught in the brush, to name a few) that would render them invaluable to the Texas cattle industry in the post-war era. But with a combination of a lack of effective containment— barbed wire was not yet invented—and too few cowhands, the cattle population ran wild.

Ranchers returning from the war discovered that their herds were lost or out of control. They tried to round up the cattle and rebuild their herds with slave labor, but eventually the Emancipation Proclamation left them without the free workers on which they were so dependent.

Desperate for help rounding up maverick cattle, ranchers were compelled to hire now-free, skilled African-Americans as paid cowhands.

Freed blacks skilled in herding cattle found themselves in even greater demand when ranchers began selling their livestock in northern states, where beef was nearly ten times more valuable than it was in cattle-inundated Texas.

The lack of significant railroads in the state meant that enormous herds of cattle needed to be physically moved to shipping points in Kansas, Colorado and Missouri. Rounding up herds on horseback, cowboys traversed unforgiving trails fraught with harsh environmental conditions and attacks from Native Americans defending their lands.

African-American cowboys faced discrimination in the towns they passed through—they were barred from eating at certain restaurants or staying in certain hotels, for example—but within their crews, they found respect and a level of equality unknown to other African-Americans of the era.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Writing occasionally makes me feel like I'm losing it too! I find that taking a step back can be good. That time away from being a writer can be used to being the reader again, and to research your topic. And when your head's clear enough, you can go back & see if the story flows more freely, armed with information you collected to incorporate in your writing. Hope this helps <3

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

A New Beginning – From Mosab in Gaza

My name is Mosab, and I’m writing this with honesty and humility.

I live in Gaza, where war has taken nearly everything from me — my home, my safety, and 25 members of my family, including my beloved mother, siblings, and their children. I’ve been displaced multiple times. Every day here is a struggle to survive.

In the face of this, I turned to the internet — not because I wanted to beg, but because I truly had no other way.

🧭 What Happened

A few months ago, a friend helped me create a GoFundMe campaign: 🔗 https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-saving-whos-left-of-my-family

Unfortunately, I could not continue working with the person who set it up. As a result, it was closed — and I had to start over again, this time on Chuffed, where I could manage everything myself.

I am the same person behind both campaigns — same story, same face, same truth. I only changed platforms to regain control and transparency.

💔 Why I Created Multiple Campaigns

I didn’t just make one campaign. I also helped create campaigns for my loved ones:

My wife Nadin, who’s caring for our 11-month-old daughter in these terrible conditions

My brother Abedmajed, and his wife Saja

My nephew Naser lost his mother (my sister) and his sister in a missile strike that hit our family home. That same strike also killed:

My mother

My other sister

My older brother, his wife and their daughters - all gone

My uncle, his wife, their sons, and grandchildren — all erased as well

That home was the heart of our family. And in one moment, it was gone — along with so many people I loved.

Naser, still a teenager, now takes care of his three younger brothers alone. His life — like mine — was shattered in an instant.

We are all in Gaza. We are all real. And we are all trying to rise, together.

⚠️ My Mistake

At the beginning, I made a big mistake.

I was so desperate to get our stories seen that I created multiple Tumblr accounts to send messages and reach more people. I didn’t understand that this would upset users or lead to the campaigns being flagged as spam.

I see now how that felt for others. And I am deeply sorry.

I never meant to deceive or annoy anyone. I was simply trying to survive — and to help my family survive. But I know now that good intentions don’t excuse bad methods.

🔁 What I’m Doing Now

I’ve spoken directly with Chuffed.

I’ve closed all old campaigns.

I’m keeping this account — @mosabsdr — moving forward.

I will be creating new, respectful, honest campaigns for myself and my loved ones.

I will reach out to GazaVetters again to explain and hopefully clear any misunderstandings.

🌱 Moving Forward

From this point on, everything I share will come from the heart — no pressure, no spamming, no noise. Just our truth, told with honesty and dignity.

If you’ve followed me, donated, or shared anything in the past: thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you were hurt or bothered by how I reached out before — I truly understand. I hope you can see that I’m learning, and trying to do better.

This war has destroyed so much — but we are still here, and we are still rising.

If you wish to stay with us on this journey, I welcome you with deep gratitude. If not, I still thank you for reading and giving me your time.

With sincerity and respect 📍 Gaza | @mosabsdr

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

🕊️ Nadin’s Hope: A Mother, A Memory, A Future

Hello, my name is Nadin I’m from Gaza. I’m a graphic design graduate. I’m a wife. And now — I’m a mother.

I finished my design studies just before the war began. I had dreams of starting a small design studio, of making art that told stories. I used to think about colors, fonts, sketches. I used to think about the future.

Then the war came. And the future became something we tried to hold onto, moment by moment.

On October 22, 2023, I was pregnant when a missile destroyed my husband’s family home. 25 members of our family were killed — his mother, his siblings, his nieces and nephews, children. Entire branches of a family tree gone in seconds.

We were displaced twice after that. Everything we had disappeared — home, safety, routine, rest.

A few weeks later, I gave birth to our daughter. There was no crib. No stillness. No celebration.

But she came into the world quietly and beautifully. And in her eyes, I saw something I hadn’t felt in weeks: life that still wanted to grow.

Now, I spend my days holding her and trying to build a world around her that doesn’t shake with explosions.

We don’t know what comes next. There is no clear path. We are walking toward the unknown, step by step — with our daughter in our arms and hope as our guide.

🧡 How You Can Help

This is why I’m asking for support. Not for comfort — but for survival. To help care for one baby girl who entered the world after everything else collapsed.

If you can spare anything, it will help us:

Cover basic needs, so we can breathe and heal

Support a path toward even the smallest stability in a place that has none

My husband manages the donations securely through a U.S.-registered Stripe account. Everything is converted to USDT and exchanged here in Gaza. The rates are difficult — $100 becomes only 245 shekels — but we use every shekel carefully, with full transparency and documentation.

🎨 Sharing a Piece of Me

I want to share more than my need. Over the next few weeks, I’ll begin posting some of my graphic designs from before the war. They are pieces of who I was — and who I still am.

They may not be perfect, but they hold something real: my story before the silence, and my belief that beauty can still live alongside survival.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. If you can give — thank you. And if you can’t, just sharing this post is a form of support I will never forget.

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

🌸 From One Mother’s Heart – Please Read 🌸

My name is Saja. I’m a wife, a mother, and a woman who once believed her story would be simple. I thought my days would be filled with watching my daughter grow — from her first smile to her first steps — surrounded by the small joys of everyday life.

But life had other plans.

War has returned to our home. Again. And once again, we find ourselves living under skies that never seem to rest.

There was a moment — a fragile, breathless moment — when the bombs paused and the world seemed to remember us. It gave us hope. We thought maybe, just maybe, we could start to rebuild. But now, we are back in the dark — hiding, holding on, praying.

I’m writing this not as someone seeking pity, but as a mother who has no other choice but to speak.

Imagine holding your baby in the middle of the night, not because she cried, but because the world outside roared too loud for either of you to sleep. Imagine whispering bedtime stories not to lull her into dreams, but to keep the fear from settling into her tiny bones.

This is my life.

This is my daughter’s life.

And even now — especially now — I believe in softness. I believe in kindness. Because when everything else is taken from you, hope becomes the most valuable thing you have.

Why I’m Reaching Out Our home has been damaged. Our lives changed. But through it all, my daughter wakes up every morning with a smile. She reaches for me with trust, with love, with faith that I will keep her safe.

That’s why I keep going.

I’ve launched a campaign to ask for help — not because it’s easy, but because silence is no longer an option. I am asking for support not just for me, but for my baby, and for the quiet strength of so many mothers like me who are fighting, every single day, to hold their families together.

How You Can Help: 🤍 Help us restore parts of our home so we can live with dignity 🤍 Support women and mothers in Gaza with access to care and resources 🤍 Keep the light of hope alive for a generation born in the shadows of war

💛 If you can, please support our journey here:

If you can’t give, please consider sharing. Your voice might be the reason someone else hears ours.

From My Heart to Yours Maybe our lives are worlds apart. Maybe you’ve never lived through war. But if you’ve ever held a child and wished the world could be better for them — then you understand more than you know.

I don’t want my daughter to grow up thinking the world turned away.

Please, if you’ve read this far — thank you. Thank you for seeing us. Thank you for caring. We are still here. Still hoping. Still holding on to every kind act like it’s a lifeline.

With love and endless gratitude

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

On October 22, 2023, an airstrike destroyed the house I was in — my grandfather’s home. It was the heart of our family.

I was there with my mother, my sister, and my three younger brothers.

When the missile hit, everything turned to smoke, blood, and silence.

My mother and sister were killed instantly.

My brothers and I were pulled from the rubble, injured — but alive.

Moments later, my father arrived at the hospital.

He didn’t know if any of us had survived. He ran through the halls, searching.

Al Jazeera Mubasher filmed that exact moment — the moment he found us.

This video isn’t easy to watch. But it’s the truth.

It’s the moment my father found his sons alive…

and learned that his wife and daughter were gone.

source:

https://www.instagram.com/share/_qqk5pMrz

I’m sharing this not to cause pain, but because I want people to understand what we’ve lived through.

This isn’t just a story. It’s our life.

It’s the moment that changed everything.

I’m still here. I’m trying to raise my brothers now.

We are trying to rebuild something from what was taken.

If you can help — even with a share — thank you

And if you just watched this, thank you for witnessing.

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Hot Take Alert! (Essay)

Okay...this is going to sound weird (and god forbid, I'm probably going to have discourse in my notes for months and months after this). But....

I feel like AI-Generation should be banned and made illegal. Not just 'AI Image Generation'. I mean, ALMOST EVERY FORM OF AI GENERATION!

Specially, visual generation and audial generation. My current hypothesis is that, by the year 2050, almost everything artistically related, whether it be stuff like a piece of promotional art to voiceover lines, will be AI-generated, at least at a coporate and mainline industrial level. This is based on modern-day observations with factory jobs and how they have been slowly phased out, from the early 20th century with the introduction of the Assembly Line all the way to today.

Sure, you might be asking me 'Well, what about my big titty anime girls?' or 'What about those memes where Mario says fuck but it actually kind of sounds like Mario?' like they are completely harmless.

....THOSE ARE THE EXACT PROBLEMS I'M TALKING ABOUT!

That stuff you want to generate of your own volation? That art that you are too depraved just to commission someone for?

It wasn't made by a human. An honest-to-god, breathing, flesh-and-blood human.

It was made by a machine. A series of lines of code made to mimic the actions of a human without all of the flaws or personality that come with being human.

Now, this isn't me going against AI in general. AI itself is an incredibly useful tool in all sorts of fields from video games to factories. I mean, anyone who has played single-player Mario Kart 8 is probably more familiar with AI than a computer scientist from 1940.

I am saying the concept of AI Generation is an inherently bad thing for us as a species. Or more specifically, what I feel like is the most important aspect of our species as a whole: Our Creativity.

From Leonardo Da Vinci to the guy who wrote poorly structured poems back in Kindergarten, we all have a higher capacity for higher-level thinking and manipulation of our environments compared to most other lifeforms on this planet. However, with that higher-level intellect also comes our inherent emotions. This is what allows us to achieve the global cooperation that we enjoy and take for granted, to achieve our pack and herd dynamics. Our abilities to feel fear, sadness, happiness, anger, and so much more is as inherent to our neurological chemistry as our intelligence and understanding.

This has created what I like to call 'emotional transplanting'. Using our intelligence and understanding of the world around us, either based on empirical study or observing phenomenon, to manipulate and change the world around us to reflect our emotions. To use our understanding of language, both oral and bodily, to tell stories based on our memories or our own ideas and creations. To use our hands to shape the world, or, to a lesser extent, an object, to project our emotions and showcase our world of thinking through how we manipulate, change, and project onto the world around us using the neurological and physical tools at our disposal.

And I feel like, in a way, AI Generation is removing that key core of our being.

Because, at the click of a button, we can generate giant paintings that would've taken years upon years for a human to do. At the click of a button, we can make anyone read anything that has been and will be ever written. At the click of a button, we can generate stories that no one in their right minds could've ever thought of or will think of.

However, what we get with the great increase in speed, we sacrifice the soul of the work. The humanity, the emotions. The flaws, the ideas on display. They are stripped away and slapped perfectly together through lines upon lines of calculated, studied, and refined AI code, so that it LOOKS like a piece of art up there with the Impressionists or the Renaissance, or a realistic photo, or a story worthy of a Oscar or a Pulitzer Prize.

But it isn't.

All because it lacks that human element. It lacks soul. It lacks emotion. Sure, an AI can simulate emotion. But it can't feel emotion.

But corporations know that. They know how easy AI is to use compared to actual creatives, both regarding time and money, and so, I predict that, if we do not do something about this, if we do not raise our voices and holler from the hilltops upon which our forefathers before screamed for their unions or our old masters who shouted cries for freedom...

We too, will end up like the factory workers of yesteryear. Discarded by the wayside all because companies care more about money, time, and manipulating the population into buying their product, than the humans who put their heart, their soul, and their emotions into the things that they have created.

This is why I believe AI Generation should be made illegal. To not only protect the careers and livelihoods of thousands, but to also ensure that one of the most important features of our civilization does not fall into the trappings of dystopic dreams and cyberpunk corporate greed.

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Surefire ways to protect your art from ai machines, anyone?

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Reblog daily for health and prosperity

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Hazeltree Laketown is a quiet little place hidden in the Heart of Texas that few will ever stumble upon. The founding witches cast a spell upon this town in its infancy to protect themselves from their persecutors. So most who find this town will forget its existence and every memory attached to it when they drive away. That is unless, deep down, you need Hazel Town in a way you may have never known — if the memories you made here mean something to you, even when you don’t realize it. Maybe it's someone you met and fell in love with, an unexpected group of friends. Or it's you discovering you’re more yourself here than anywhere else. Events here, big and small, could have shaped you into who you always needed to be — for you, not anyone else.

But if you were born here, you will never forget this town, no matter how much you may want to. It will always have a place for you, like a loving mother you left behind for bigger, better things. Hazel Town will always be waiting for you.

This beautiful lakeside settlement is not without its dangers, however. Beasts of incomprehensible horror lurk in these woods. They’ll kill you where you stand if you aren’t careful. You’d be wise to steer clear of the ECRF, also. They don’t take too kindly towards citizens trespassing on government property, anyhow.

Don’t be discouraged by the small number of members. We’re a very new server. You can create a witch, vampire, cosmic entity, hybrid, human, or ghost. Character creation only has a few basic guidelines to abide by. So you can have fun with your imagination and creativity. Gain EXP from winning fights against other players, and have your choice of rewards!

We welcome sub-para, semi-literate, literate, and novella roleplayers. You don’t have to worry too much about word count and junk. Just give your scene partner enough to work with! We don’t have to submit a character within a set time limit, either. We know that everyone works at different paces!

This server is very LGBTQ+ friendly, and we do our best to keep a positive, judgment-free environment. Everyone here is pretty outgoing, and we seldom take ourselves seriously. So if you enjoy being silly now and again, this is the place for you!

NOTE: You must be fourteen years or older to participate in this roleplay.

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

HAZELTREE LAKETOWN

A DISCORD ROLEPLAY

Hazeltree Laketown is a horror and mystery roleplay set in the countryside of central Texas, in a town hidden by an ancient spell deep within the forest. Uncover unsolved secrets and see if you can connect the dots and find the answer to years-long questions. Try and figure out what is up with the ECRU — are they being entirely honest about their intentions? Forge friendships, romances, and rivalries, or explore relationships with family. How will these ties fair against the weight of the world?

Build your character as you see fit, following only a few basic guidelines. You can be almost anything you wish in Hazeltree Laketown. Carefully craft your character’s arc throughout the roleplay, and develop their relationship with the town and its people. Play as two kinds of cosmic entities, a human, witch, vampire, or hybrid! Have chance encounters with Level 5 threats that you can choose to fight or flee. But be wise! If your character is anything but a master-level magic user, they stand no chance against this creature!

Attend various roleplay events — Friday night football games, proms, homecoming dances, and fairs! Your characters can let loose or stir up juicy drama! The choice is yours!

ATTENTION:

You must be 14 or older to roleplay in Hazeltree Laketown.

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

That jesus post 'he doesn't even look a thing like jesus' was a reference to the Killers song 'when you were young' which contains 'he doesn't look a thing like jesus' as a lyric. Hope this helps.

Oh my God, thank you so much. I was so confused when it came across my page🤣

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

[hazel-eyeddaydreamer]

Words to use instead of ‘said’

**Using the word ‘said’ is absolutely not a bad choice, and in fact, you will want to use it for at least 40% of all your dialogue tags. Using other words can be great, especially for description and showing emotion, but used in excess can take away or distract from the story.

Neutral: acknowledged, added, affirmed, agreed, announced, answered, appealed, articulated, attested, began, bemused, boasted, called, chimed in, claimed, clarified, commented, conceded, confided, confirmed, contended, continued, corrected, decided, declared, deflected, demurred, disclosed, disputed, emphasized, explained, expressed, finished, gloated, greeted, hinted, imitated, imparted, implied, informed, interjected, insinuated, insisted, instructed, lectured, maintained, mouthed, mused, noted, observed, offered, put forth, reassured, recited, remarked, repeated, requested, replied, revealed, shared, spoke up, stated, suggested, uttered, voiced, volunteered, vowed, went on

Persuasive: advised, appealed, asserted, assured, begged, cajoled, claimed, convinced, directed, encouraged, implored, insisted, pleaded, pressed, probed, prodded, prompted, stressed, suggested, urged

Continuously: babbled, chattered, jabbered, rambled, rattled on

Quietly: admitted, breathed, confessed, croaked, crooned, grumbled, hissed, mumbled, murmured, muttered, purred, sighed, whispered

Loudly: bellowed, blurted, boomed, cried, hollered, howled, piped, roared, screamed, screeched, shouted, shrieked, squawked, thundered, wailed, yelled, yelped

Happily/Lovingly: admired, beamed, cackled, cheered, chirped, comforted, consoled, cooed, empathized, flirted, gushed, hummed, invited, praised, proclaimed, professed, reassured, soothed, squealed, whooped

Humour: bantered, chuckled, giggled, guffawed, jested, joked, joshed

Sad: bawled, begged, bemoaned, blubbered, grieved, lamented, mewled, mourned, pleaded, sniffled, sniveled, sobbed, wailed, wept, whimpered

Frustrated: argued, bickered, chastised, complained, exasperated, groaned, huffed, protested, whinged

Anger: accused, bristled, criticized, condemned, cursed, demanded, denounced, erupted, fumed, growled, lied, nagged, ordered, provoked, raged, ranted remonstrated, retorted, scoffed, scolded, scowled, seethed, shot, snapped, snarled, sneered, spat, stormed, swore, taunted, threatened, warned

Disgust: cringed, gagged, groused, griped, grunted, mocked, rasped, sniffed, snorted

Fear: cautioned, faltered, fretted, gasped, quaked, quavered, shuddered, stammered, stuttered, trembled, warned, whimpered, whined

Excited: beamed, cheered, cried out, crowed, exclaimed, gushed, rejoiced, sang, trumpeted

Surprised: blurted, exclaimed, gasped, marveled, sputtered, yelped

Provoked: bragged, dared, gibed, goaded, insulted, jeered, lied, mimicked, nagged, pestered, provoked, quipped, ribbed, ridiculed, sassed, teased

Uncertainty/Questionned: asked, challenged, coaxed, concluded, countered, debated, doubted, entreated, guessed, hesitated, hinted, implored, inquired, objected, persuaded, petitioned, pleaded, pondered, pressed, probed, proposed, queried, questioned, quizzed, reasoned, reiterated, reported, requested, speculated, supposed, surmised, testified, theorized, verified, wondered

This is by no means a full list, but should be more than enough to get you started!

Any more words you favor? Add them in the comments!

Happy Writing :)