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Dialogue tag rules

He Said, She Said… On your never-ending quest to find a new way to say he said or she said, please don’t go overboard with substitutes. If you pepper every speaking phrase with a fun-filled synonym for said, it can become distracting and, well, annoying. It takes the reader’s attention away from what the characters are saying. Said can somewhat pass for an invisible word. Readers are accustomed to and skim right over said. However, you should still be mindful of its word count in your manuscript and try to find creative ways to keep it down. Chortled, gurgled, spluttered, and guffawed (while okay sparingly) should not be stuffed behind every quotation. In general, I’m personally not a fan of using a verb as a dialogue tag when it doesn’t make sense to describe someone speaking. Not a fan: “Why did you do that?” she giggled. I opt for this: “Why did you do that?” she asked, giggling. She couldn’t physically giggle the words. She would speak the words and giggle in between them. Let Actions Speak for Your Characters Before you use spluttered for the fifth time in chapter seven, consider this: leaving out the dialogue tag when it’s unnecessary would be better. You can convey which character is speaking by use of action. Sentences before or after the dialogue work en lieu of said or replied (or whatever replacement you’ve found in an online thesaurus). In the front: Sarah frowned as she studied Marlene. “You’re angry. I can tell.” In the back: “Where are you going, all dressed up?” Natalie tore away her sunglasses to study her mother’s attire. Avoid Long Sentences with Hard Returns Many writers seem to have the habit of beginning a sentence with a hard return to dialogue at the end. This would be a run-on. Instead of one long sentence, make it two crisp sentences. Incorrect: We stared at the ground for a long time before she finally looked up at me and said, “Would you like to go to the dance?” Correct: We stared at the ground for a long time before she finally looked up at me and spoke. “Would you like to go to the dance?” Using Periods and Commas Appropriately Understanding when you should use a period or a comma is important. If you’re using an action or descriptive sentence to help your readers understand which character is speaking, make sure you use a period. It may “feel” right to use a comma, but that would be incorrect. Incorrect: “You can borrow my sweater. I just need it back by tomorrow,” Annabelle’s nose crinkled as she smiled at me. Correct: a) “You can borrow my sweater. I just need it back by tomorrow.” Annabelle’s nose crinkled as she smiled at me. b) “You can borrow my sweater. I just need it back by tomorrow,” she said, her nose crinkling as she smiled at me. When your dialogue tag crops up in the midst of a sentence: Incorrect: “Wait,” she said, “Are you coming over today?” Correct:  a) “Wait,” she said. “Are you coming over today?”                b) “Wait”—she said—“are you coming over today?” The period after said in option ‘a’ separates the sentences. Setting off she said with dashes, as shown in option ‘b,’ allows the phrase to remain one sentence. One More Reminder… When you are using question marks and exclamation marks, you still need to keep the pronoun lowercase because it is all considered one sentence. You wouldn’t randomly capitalize he in the middle of a sentence. Incorrect: “Can you help me?” He asked. Correct: “Can you help me?” he asked. Source- www.creativepenn.com

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In a world filled with chaos, your madness is the only thing that keeps me together, that makes perfect sense. In an odd place filled with unfamiliar faces and strange looks, you are the only one I know of.

Lukas W. // Perfect sense (via somepiecesofmyheartandsoul)

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It is not in my soul to half love you. I love fiercely, wildly, and with my whole heart. When I love you, oh my god, do I love you.

j.m.n (via jlivingwell)

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Never blame yourself for the actions of others. You are not responsible for them. You are responsible for yourself and how you choose to live.

(via deadsensescompany)

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Science fiction is the most important literature in the history of the world, because it's the history of ideas, the history of our civilization birthing itself. ...Science fiction is central to everything we've ever done, and people who make fun of science fiction writers don't know what they're talking about.

Ray Bradbury

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"As he starts towards the door without saying anything, I feel an urge to stop him there, enclosing him into an embrace. But I have been too paralysed by the moment to move."

Excerpt from Breaking Shadow

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If you're having a rough day, the best way to forget about your issues is to read science fiction. It'll take you away from your problems and into an entirely new world. One of the reasons to read science fiction novels is because it's a healthy way to deal with your stress. As long as you find the right story, reading will help you relax. Books are a portal into another universe that you can jump into whenever you desire.

books.allwomenstalk.com

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Looking away from him I say, "You get a nice view." "That's necessary. I need to keep an eye on—" "I know." I break in. "Your trainees." "No, on you." I stay still. What does he mean by that? Is he aware of my actions, my semblance? I try to breathe normally. In order to change the heavy feeling I say, raising an eyebrow, "That's why I got a place near yours." "You hate it?" He asks. "No. I hate myself for loving it." I admit and smile involuntarily.

Excerpt from Breaking Shadow (Semblance Book I)

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"Eva if you are watching this then you must have landed safely on Zone. Don't come back here. These people are monsters. They don't intend to rebuild this Nation. All they want is to capture Zone and become powerful." She presses a hand over her forehead and sighs deeply. "I will die sooner or later, but I need you to know a truth about yourself. The second video file is going to change everything you've ever known. I wish I could have done more for you. Remember I love you."

Excerpt from Breaking Shadow(Semblance Book I)

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Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. – Barbara Kingsolver

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If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write. – Somerset Maugham

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I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose. – Stephen King

Brainy quotes

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Tired of Good Vs Evil?

I have other type of conflicts for you:

Order Vs Chaos

Tradition vs Progress

Discipline Vs Harmony

Selflessness Vs Egoism

Bacon Vs Tie      

Safety Vs Freedom

Individuality vs Community

Emotions Vs Stoicism

Romanticism Vs Enlightenment 

Nature Vs Nurture   

Bacon Vs Broccoli

 Pacifism Vs Self-Arming

Talent Vs Hard work

 Passivity Vs Action      

Performance Vs Technique

Law Vs Good

Order Vs Harmony

Science Vs Nature

Human morality Vs Non-human morality (especially if both sides are “good”)

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Flashback

Avoid using flashback as a plot gimmick Sometimes when writing a story, the author needs to go outside of the timeline. When a scene is set during a time earlier than the main narration, the author is using a flashback.  If you wrote a story in which the main character is afraid to swim, you might use a flashback to show a time earlier in his life when he nearly drowned. Flashbacks primarily are used so that the reader better understands the reasons for a main character’s current feelings or way of thinking.  Unfortunately, novice authors often use flashbacks for the wrong reasons, such as to add action to an otherwise flat story. The result is that the technique draws attention to itself and becomes gimmicky.  When utilizing the flashback, follow some simple guidelines:  • The flashback should serve multiple dramatic purposes – A flashback can be at its most dramatic when creating a sense of uncertainty in the reader yet also serving to reveal character or offering hints that bring the character closer to solving the plot. Flashing back to an event that happened the day or week or even month before doesn’t give the main character enough time to process it.  • The event in a flashback shouldn’t occur too close in time to the story’s timeline - Doing so reduces the event’s powerfulness in effecting the main character’s emotions and thoughts during the main story. The trauma of the past event should have shaped the main character’s personality over a long time, making the ability to change and overcome it in the main story difficult.  • The flashback should clearly have occurred in the past – If the reader is befuddled wondering why this event is happening in the present, then the author has not left enough clues about when the event happened in the main character’s life.  • Keep the flashback short – Even if the flashback is action-packed, moving away from the “now” reduces immediacy in a story. A long flashback can confuse readers about what events occurred in the main story.  By Rob Bignell(editor)

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"He can make me feel contented even if I am an inch from destruction. And for the millionth time I admit this to myself, I am not ready to loose him."

Excerpt from Breaking Shadow (Semblance Book I)