Verb and Subject
Incorrect:
"I bet you two had a fine time," said Ben.
When using tags, it's unusual to have the verb before the subject. The general rule of thumb is to use this construction sparingly, as a rare change in pace or flow. In addition, many editors are asking this construction not appear at all in a manuscript.
Correct:
"I bet you two had a fine time," Ben said.
The Comma and As
Incorrect:
"Do you kiss toads often? Or are you just a little weird?" Betty asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
"I often find the little green guys cute. You should try it sometime," Bertha said as she giggled.
In both instances, the comma after asked, and the 'as' after said, indicate the dialogue tag isn't necessary. Each is greatly improved by removing the tag and allowing the following sentence to stand on its own.
Correct:
"Do you kiss toads often? Or are you just a little weird?" Betty wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"I often find the little green guys cute. You should try it sometime." Bertha giggled.
Unnecessary Tags
Incorrect:
Mary scoffed at the idea. "I don't think you want me at your party," she replied.
Since we are firmly in Mary's head at the point of her dialogue, it can be assumed it is her reply. If you use a tag like this, ask yourself if it's really necessary. Is it obvious this is her reply? Then you don't need it. New writer's struggle with the idea that every bit of dialogue needs to be accredited to a character, otherwise the reader will be confused. The idea is to write so well from one character's perspective, that the reader will immediately tell who's dialogue it is.
Correct:
Mary scoffed at the idea. "I don't think you want me at your party."
Over Explaining the Tag
Incorrect:
"I don't care if you kiss all the frogs in the world, you aren't bringing that toad to my party," Shelly warned, her voice rising.
Ask yourself these questions when you find yourself hunting for words to explain the dialogue in the tag:
Is Shelly's dialogue showing her warning?
Is it clear from what Shelly says that her voice is rising?
What am I trying to show Shelly feeling with this tag?
You won't need to ask yourself these questions as you discover your own style more, but in the meantime, it's a good idea to look through your tags to see if any of them could be replaced, or simply deleted. Her outrage could have been shown much better by this sentence:
Correct:
"I don't care if you kiss all the frogs in the world, you aren't bringing that toad to my party." Shelly glared, hands on hips.
Conjunction Tags
Incorrect:
"You look lovely in that dress," Biff said, "and I think you're going to be the belle of the ball."
Although this break is all right occasionally, it should be used with extreme caution. A better approach is to lend depth to the moment at the break.
Correct:
"You look lovely in that dress." Biff leaned closer, his words a whisper against her flesh. "I think you're going to be the belle of the ball."
Showing Impact
Incorrect:
She wanted to scream, to run for help, but she remained frozen, like a trapped animal. "You killed him for money?"
"Exactly," he said.
"How could you?" She asked as adrenalin rushed movement back into her limbs and she backed away.
Obviously this is an excerpt from a larger scene. By the time the reader finds this exchange, they'll be familiar with all the players. To add impact to a statement, it's sometimes best to leave a tag off entirely, especially with a two-character exchange.
Correct:
She wanted to scream, to run for help, but she remained frozen, like a trapped animal. "You killed him for money?"
"Exactly."
"How could you?" Adrenalin flooded her limbs and she backed away.
Multiple Tags
Incorrect:
"You have to understand," Sean said as he clenched her wrists tighter. His eyes darkened with a menacing plea as he stated, "He was evil, I had to do it."
In this paragraph, we are firmly in Sean's head by the action described in the middle, there is no need to explain he is still speaking.
Correct:
"You have to understand." Sean clenched her wrists tighter. His eyes darkened with a menacing plea. "He was evil, I had to do it."
As with any rules in writing, there are always exceptions. However, once you've changed any of the problematic tags in your work to these more active and exciting tags, you'll find the pace of your work becomes faster and the work overall is much cleaner.
About The Author
Author of dozens of articles and award winning short stories, Jennifer Turner offers caring and concise critiques for aspiring authors without the high cost of big business editorial services at, ROTO-WRITER CRITIQUE SERVICE http://jturner.00books.com/index.html
http://jturner.00books.com/index.html
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More
Making Money from Freelance WritingIt's the question that every aspiring... Read More
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it.... Read More
As many authors are fond of stating, "Ideas are all... Read More
There are so many ways for writers to make good... Read More
It's important to have a space set aside in your... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?By now you should have an idea... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
In order to be successful with a newsletter, specialize in... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
I recently read a book where everything was akimbo. Arms... Read More
IntroductionSometimes it may be beyond a companies or individuals budget... Read More
One of the nice things about being an author is... Read More
"If you're like me, than I'm sure you're pretty familiar... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
Yes, you know your subject. You also need to think... Read More
Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many... Read More
First impressions count in writing too! So it is always... Read More
I'm in the process of moving from one computer to... Read More
In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a... Read More
Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..You can create a great headline, a dynamic first sentence,... Read More
A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction,... Read More
PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. Past means... Read More
When attempting to understand Creativity and Innovation, it pays to... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
So you want to be a writer, except you don't... Read More
How to avoid mistakes that undermine your credibilityYou're probably already... Read More
Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you... Read More
How many of you take the time to really write... Read More
Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms... Read More
Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo... Read More
Concision. (Sounds like I made up another word.) It's the... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?For a theme to work and the... Read More
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More
For several years before I left teaching to write full... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
The urge to write fiction seems God given for some,... Read More
One day in the mid-1970's a young man stumbled into... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Your theme has to be something you... Read More
Balance your life ... Read More
Mixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that... Read More
We all know people who ramble. They include every boring... Read More
Welcome to the zany ideas of a productive writer. My... Read More
I call it cheap therapy. That gushing, near-religious, poured-from-the-body stress... Read More
Writing |