How to Write Effective Dialogue Tags - Part 1: The Problem With Too Many

When reading fiction, dialogue tags help cue the readers in on which character is speaking. However, when a writer uses too many dialogue tags—and when they’re used incorrectly—the dialogue is being told to the reader rather than shown. If you use too many dialogue tags within your manuscript, you may risk coming across as an amateur to an agent or editor.


So how are readers supposed to know which character is speaking if dialogue tags should be avoided when possible?

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Here’s how: Writers should show who is speaking rather than tell the reader who is speaking. They should also show how a statement/question is spoken rather than telling them how it was spoken.


In movies, the viewer does not need dialogue tags. Why? Because they’re shown which character is saying what. They also know how they’re saying it.


The dialogue tags should be almost invisible in our manuscripts as well. In other words, our characters should be so alive in readers’ imagination that they, in a sense, forget that they’re reading a book. However, this effect is impossible to accomplish if we use a dialogue tag for each line of dialogue. Those dialogue tags are constant reminders that practically scream to the reader, “This scene isn’t really happening; it was only written by the author!”



Rather than telling the reader that the character said something “angrily”, the action/emotion beats we use should bring the reader to that conclusion. By doing this, we’re inviting the reader to use their imagination rather than telling them how they should imagine the speech being spoken.


It’s okay to use dialogue tags sparingly within your scenes—especially when it’s unclear who is speaking. When necessary, we should use the tag “said”. The word “said” tends to be invisible to readers. By doing this, we'll allow the scene to continue unfolding before their eyes without bringing attention to the dialogue tags. We never want to bring attention to dialogue tags, as this is an interruption to the story and its flow.


However, too many dialogue tags in a row—even the word said—can come across as choppy. When dialogue is choppy, then the scene can no longer play out like a movie in the mind of our readers. To avoid this, we should weave in other fiction elements into our scenes to make it come to life, such as description, interior monologue, action/emotion beats, and exposition.


For every writing rule, there are always exceptions. Although editors will advise that you stay clear of dialogue tags, it is occasionally okay to use the following: 

• Asked 
• Shouted 
• Mumbled 
• Whispered 
• Muttered 

 Why? Because these dialogue tags are almost invisible, just like said tags. They’re simple and often necessary. When used sparingly, these tags won’t distract from the scene that takes place.


So how is it possible for us to write effective dialogue tags that, 1) don't distract readers from the scene, and 2) show rather than tell?


We'll discuss the answer to this question in next week's post.

~ ~ ~ 

Have you ever been distracted by too many dialogue tags in a book? Is it a struggle for you to write effective dialogue tags in your manuscript? Let me know in the comments!

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The Most Important Writing Rule I’ve Ever Learned

Studying the craft of writing is a passion I first discovered when I was 15. (Yes, I consider it to be a passion in and of itself—separate from writing. Because while it directly relates to writing, I’ve noticed that not everyone who finds joy in writing necessarily finds joy in learning how to excel in their craft as well.) 

This passion of the craft lead me to buy books on how to grow in my fiction (and non-fiction) writing. I would be giddy every time the UPS man delivered a new craft book to my front door, and I’d spend hours pouring over the knowledge and wisdom contained in those books. 

Yes, writers should invest time and money into growing in their craft. Otherwise, our writing growth will remain stagnant because we won’t be challenged to rise to the next level. 

But you know what I’ve realized? Sometimes we can learn so much about the craft that we become paralyzed, so consumed with following the rules that our writing becomes rigid and formulaic. It may start to lose our artistic touch and unique style and voice. 

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I believe this is why it’s taken me so long to finish the sequel to PURPLE MOON. Every time I would sit down to work on this book over the past four years, I'd feel stuck. Lost. Everything I’ve learned about the craft drilled fear into me as I wrote. This fear whispered to me, saying things like, “You need to have a goal, motivation, and conflict for this scene.” “How is this scene pushing the story forward?” “You’re writing way too much interior monologue.” “What if the readers of PURPLE MOON are disappointed in this book?” 

In other words: I was trying way too hard to write a “perfect” first draft. Those rules kept me from experiencing the joy of losing myself in writing the first draft. 

Thus, I was held back from continuing this story for months. 

The truth is, I didn’t follow every hard-and-fast rule when I wrote PURPLE MOON—yet it still resonated with readers. Why is this? I believe that’s exactly why: Because I didn’t write that first draft with those rules in mind. In fact, I didn’t even write it with the hopes of having it meet the expectations of readers. 

I wrote it simply because it was the kind of story that I, myself, wanted to read. I lost myself in the story as I wrote. And I believe that joy I experienced was captured onto the pages and connected with readers as well. 

I don’t want my readers to read my books and say, “Wow, there’s not one writing rule that she broke.” 

Truth is, most readers—mainly those who aren’t writers—aren’t going to know whether or not we’ve followed every rule in our writing. But they will know whether or not they were taken on a captivating journey and experienced a story that pulled them away from their surroundings. 

That’s the kind of writer I want to be: Not the kind that is so focused on writing a book that adheres to all the rules, but the kind that writes from the heart. A writer who writes stories for the pure joy of it—because when I fall in love with my story first, then others will, too. 

And that is the most important writing rule I’ve ever learned: 

To simply sit down, push the rules away from your mind, and write a book that sweeps you away. 

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That’s what I’ve been doing this month. I’ve finally broken through this writing paralysis (sounds more accurate than writer’s block, doesn’t it?) and have been working on completing the first draft of this sequel. I’m reminded of the times when I wrote PURPLE MOON as a teenager and how much fun it was to capture the movie that reeled through my mind. 

Sure, writing rules have their place. But that “place” shouldn’t arrive until the editing and revision stages. After the first draft has been scribbled down.

Until then, I’ll carry on, remaining in this dreamlike stage as I record the continuation of Selena’s story. 

~ ~ ~ 

Have you experienced a writer’s paralysis that comes from being a perfectionist? Do you find that writing rules are paralyzing, helpful, or both?

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The Problem With Adverbs & Adjectives

When I was in elementary school, I was taught to incorporate as many adjectives and adverbs into my stories as possible.


My writing sounded like this:

The big, fat, yellow sun shined brightly against the light blue sky.

Colorful, isn’t it? And yet, sometimes those colors are the very things that distract the reader from the story. Literary agent, Sally Apokedak, puts it this way: “…too much description makes the colors all bleed together.”


Nowadays, adjectives and adverbs are considered to be lazy writing. They tend to tell the action, emotion, scenery, etc. instead of allowing the reader to experience it for themselves.

{Continue reading}

How to Craft Fabulous First Pages - Guest Post by Barbara M. Britton

About Barbara:

Barbara M. Britton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but currently lives in Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes Christian Fiction for teens and adults. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Barb kicked off her Tribes of Israel series in October with the release of “Providence: Hannah’s Journey.” Her second book “Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey” released In April. The Journeys will continue this fall with “Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey.” Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

When do you stop reading a book?

Better yet, do you even begin reading a book if the first page is dull, lackluster, or confusing? I’ve heard it said that literary agents know if they will represent a book after reading the first page. At a pitch appointment, I had an agent request just one page of my story. One page? I was insulted, but it showed me how important openings are to readers—and agents.

The past several years, I have judged a contest where writers submit the first five pages of their novel. Mistakes can pop up in those important pages. Here are a few issues that will sink your contest score, and/or cause an agent to pass on your manuscript.

Crowding too many people into the opening.

Readers need to get to know your main character. After all, we are going to follow them through the entire story. Keep your narrative centered around the MC (main character). Readers don’t need to be introduced to an extended family, circle of friends, or a myriad of co-workers in the first pages. My brain hurt as I was introduced to a five-piece band, a department store full of employees, and an entire Bible Study, all in the first five pages of novels. How could I keep these people straight? And did I need to? Were these people going to disappear after the first chapter? Should they? Try to focus on who matters most. And don’t have your MC knocked unconscious in the first pages. I’ve seen this too. Comatose characters can’t interact with anyone.

Focus on the here and now. Post a sign “No Info Dumping.”

Start a story with what is currently happening in your main character’s life. Please don’t take the reader on a stroll down memory lane, or feel that you have to inform us of the past few years of a character’s life. Information on a character’s history can be slipped in by what they’re wearing, what they say, how skilled they are at a task, or who shows up at their door. We have a whole novel to get acquainted with your characters, don’t start page one with backstory.

Where am I?

Characters are important, but the setting matters as well. Hint at where the story takes place. If the MC is at a balmy beach in January, he/she isn’t in Wisconsin. If a character is rushing to take the ACT and a bell rings, I bet they’re at a high school. You can name an airport, stadium, or street and set the scene immediately.

What’s in a name?

I had to change a character’s name in my debut novel because it started with the same letter as my hero. This secondary character showed up throughout the book. My editor got confused when the two men were in a scene together. Confusion isn’t good, so I changed the name of my secondary character. Use the whole alphabet when naming your characters and avoid too many similar names (Cathy, Cassie, Carrie).

Know your genre.

What type of story are you writing? Readers have expectations of what should happen in the opening pages of a particular genre. If you’re writing romance, the hero and heroine meet very soon. This is sometimes called the “meet cute.” In mysteries and thrillers, something is wrong and needs to be set right. Young Adult novels have characters who are teenagers (usually 14-18). If your characters are over 18 then you’re writing in the New Adult or Literary Fiction genres. Know the parameters of the genre you are writing. Word counts differ. Language matters. Read widely in the genre you are writing, so you know what’s expected by the reader. You can even read reviews of similar books on Goodreads and Amazon to see common themes readers enjoyed.

Openings may seem difficult, but as I tell my sons when they are writing papers for school, “You can’t fix a blank page.” I’ve been told that quote comes from Nora Roberts. Remember, writing something is better than writing nothing at all. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make things permanent. The more you write, the better you will become. So, go forth and ace that opening.

What do struggles do you face while crafting the opening to a novel?

The Writer's Palette: How to Write Concise Description to Liven Your Scenes

As writers, we have the power to tear down the boundaries of paper and ink when we craft a description that triggers the imagination of our readers. That’s the power of writing a concise description.

I’m sure you’ve heard it’s best to limit your descriptions. Pretty prose does not equal a pretty story, and ultimately it’s your characters and plot that will push the story along.

So how can you write scenes in a way that accomplishes the job of description — to bring the story to life — without interrupting the flow?

{Continue reading at AlmostAnAuthor.com!}

What is Deep POV, and Why is it Important?

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Have you ever tried to tell your friends about an experience you had, but they didn’t give you the response you hoped for? Maybe they didn’t laugh when you gave the punchline of the story. You then tried to cover up your shame by saying, “You just had to be there.”

If we write our books in a shallow POV rather than in deep POV, we risk that same “cricket chirping” response from our audience. We’re narrating a story that could come across as much more powerful if we chose to instead invite the reader to experience it.

{Continue reading at AlmostAnAuthor.com!}

Common Writing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them P.2 - Guest Post by SM Ford

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TO RECAP:

Annually, I’m one of the judges for a teen novel writing contest. These teens have had good instruction and have spent nine months to a year writing their novels. They do amazing work—better than some adults—but still there are patterns of errors I see that you can learn from.

** {If you missed Part 1 of this series, written by SM Ford, please be sure to check it out here.} **

Common Writing Mistakes & How to Avoid Them - P.2 

Not So Great Word Choices

         Adverbs

If the verb is strong enough, an adverb isn’t needed.  In dialogue, the words (and accompanying actions) should be clear enough that the reader “gets” what the adverb is indicating about the dialogue, making the adverb unnecessary. e.g. “You make me so mad!” Stacie slammed the door. We don’t need, “she said angrily.”

        

         Weak Adjectives

They tell us what we already know, instead of what we don’t know. For example, we all know grass is supposed to be green, which means green grass doesn’t tell us a lot. Dry grass, freshly mown grass, sparse grass—each gives us a different picture.

        

Overuse of “as”

“As” is a word we often use to show things happening simultaneously.  Yes, in real life they do often happen at once.  However, in writing it’s easier to just think of things happening one at a time.  Sometimes you can take “as” out and break the sentence into two sentences.  Other times you might want to use another preposition, e.g. when, while, or reorder the sentence so it isn’t necessary.  You can’t “not” use it, you just don’t want to overuse it.

        

Weedy or Weasel Words

about

actually

almost

appears

approximately

basically

even

finally

just

really

seems

somehow

somewhat

suddenly

that

very

well

Danglers aka Misplaced Modifying Clauses

Clauses not being next to what they are modifying.  e.g. He clenched his fists watching their bus back to Manchester speeding away.  His fists aren’t watching, he is.  This would be clearer:  Watching their bus speeding back to Manchester, he clenched his fists. 

Passive Verbs

·      Begins/began, starts/started, verbs ending in “ing” – e.g. was walking.

·      Verbs that distance the reader from the action.  e.g. “let herself drop” instead of “dropped,” “attempted to reach” instead of “reached.”

         The FIX:

·      Use stronger verbs instead of weak verbs and an adverb.

·      Use well-chosen adjectives that create a specific picture.

·      Search and destroy overused words!

·      Check that your modifying clauses are close to the subject that is being modified.

·      Turn passive verbs into active ones.

Only Using a Few of the Five Senses

            Seeing and Hearing are easiest.

         The FIX:

·      Don’t forget Smell, Taste, Touch and the sixth sense, Temperature!

·      Aim for 3 sensory details per scene.

Overwriting

·      Intricate details of clothing probably don’t add much, unless it relates to the plot in a specific way. Use a few when necessary to establish a time period or character.

·      Taking forever to get to the point of a scene. Make sure you’re sharing what the reader cares about.

·      Burying action with description. We read for what is happening!

·      Overdone dialogue tags/attributions.

·      Too many characters.

         The FIX:

·      Tighten sentences. Remove excess words and descriptions.

·      Write a one sentence summary of a scene and make sure everything in the scene contributes to that point.

·      Interweave action and description together.

·      Don’t replace “said” or “asked” with a bunch of different creative words or add adverbs.

·      You don’t have to put a “said” or “asked” or some such attribution with every line of dialogue.  It’s often much stronger to use an action instead. This is part of showing. 

·      Is every secondary/tertiary character necessary?  Or can you combine a couple into one person?

You work on all six of these concepts mentioned in Parts 1 and 2, and your writing will improve greatly!

~ ~ ~


Which writing mistake is the hardest for you to overcome? Be sure to join the convo in the comments!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

SM Ford writes inspirational fiction for adults, although teens may find the stories of interest, too.

When she was thirteen, she got hooked on Mary Stewart's romantic suspense books, although she has been a reader as long as she can remember, and is an eclectic reader. Inspirational authors she enjoys include: Francine Rivers, Bodie Thoene, Dee Henderson, Jan Karon, and many more.

SM Ford is a Pacific Northwest gal, but has also lived in the midwest (Colorado and Kansas) and on the east coast (New Jersey). She and her husband have two daughters and two sons-in-law and three grandsons. She can't figure out how she got to be old enough for all that, however.

She also loves assisting other writers on their journeys.

Social Media:

Website: www.smfordbooks.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SMFordwriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMFordBooks

ALONE is an inspirational romantic suspense novel. It released from Clean Reads in June 2016 as an ebook. 

Ready for adventure in the snowy Colorado mountains, Cecelia Gage is thrilled to be employed as the live-in housekeeper for her favorite bestselling author. The twenty-five-year old doesn’t count on Mark Andrews being so prickly, nor becoming part of the small town gossip centering on the celebrity. Neither does she expect to become involved in Andrews family drama and a relationship with Simon Lindley, Mark’s oh so good-looking best friend. And certainly, Cecelia has no idea she’ll be mixed up in a murder investigation because of this job.

Will Cecelia’s faith in God get her through all the trouble that lies ahead?

BUY:

This ebook is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes.

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