An actual tip
Ranting & RavingI found this on tumblr and thought I would share. I hope it helps you all write your dialogue in a better, and more grammatically correct, way.
Basic Structure
There are a few ways to structure dialogue. These are the most common ways to structure a line, although I haven’t seen 7 in a very long time.
“The dog’s outside. He’s finally stopped barking,” Anne said.
“The dog’s outside. He’s finally stopped barking,” said Anne.
“The dog’s outside,” Anne said. “He’s finally stopped barking.”
“The dog’s outside,” said Anne. “He’s finally stopped barking.”
Anne said, “The dog’s outside. He’s finally stopped barking.”
“The dog’s outside.” Anne sighed with relief. “He’s finally stopped barking.”
Said Anne, “The dog’s outside. He’s finally stopped barking.”
It’s a good idea to avoid using the same method twice. Two or three or four (!) straight lines of 1’s “X said” or 6’s sentences broken up by a dialogue will sound strange.
Notice how the dialogue tag (“Anna said” and variations thereof) only goes in an area that does not impede the flow of dialogue. In the case of 3, 4, and 6, the dialogue tag or action actually enhances the period’s long pause. Only place dialogue tags at the beginning or end of a phrase, or where there would normally be a period, semicolon, colon, comma, or other punctuation indicating rest.
Dialogue Tags
A dialogue tag is a word + the person saying it. “He said”, “she said”, “they said”, etc. are all dialogue tags. The most common verb in a dialogue tag is “to say” (said, says, say, etc.) A lot of authors like it for its simplicity and
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