![]() ![]() I’ve read books stuffed with so many picturesque verbs that I’ve almost lost track of the story while bedazzled by the author’s verbal gymnastics.) (Come to that, strong verbs can be overdone. ![]() Like spices, these words are most effective sprinkled sparingly throughout a piece of writing, but they’re no less valuable than other strong verbs. “Bellowed,” “shrieked,” “muttered,” and “murmured” can show how a character utters something, when “said” would be too bland. I agree they’re not appropriate because they do not describe ways of articulating words. ![]() Dialogue tags are verbs and speaking is an action, so why is it good when a character sprints or ambles, but bad when they bellow or shriek?Īnd no, I don’t advocate words such as “smiled” or “laughed” as dialogue tags. “Sprinted,” for example, is preferred to a weak, wimpy word like “ran” to describe what a character does. Writers are also advised to use strong verbs for actions. How many readers have had to scrutinize a page of dialogue, labelling sentences as “he” and “she,” or “Bob” and “Tom” to figure out exactly who said what, because the writer omitted dialogue tags altogether? Talk about being distracted from the story! First of all, dialogue tags are needed when a conversation between two (and especially more than two) characters goes on for more than a few lines. Using only “said” and “asked” is recommended because these words are non-distinctive and do not call attention to themselves, because that would distract the reader.Īs with so many of these dictums (well, it should be “dicta,” but let’s not be pedantic), there’s a good deal of wiggle room. And I’ve read that his essay, “Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing,” may have been somewhat tongue in cheek. His prose style was crafted for those genres, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best style for all writing. Leonard wrote Westerns, gritty crime fiction, and thrillers. This time it’s “Avoid dialogue tags.” If you must use them, stick to “said” and (maybe) “asked.” Often, Elmore Leonard is cited as endorsing this practice. You can learn more about how you've used dialogue tags in your writing by running ProWritingAid's Dialogue Report.Here’s the old contrarian again, revving up to question yet another piece of Advice to Writers. If more than 15% of your dialogue has dialogue tags, it's time to remove some! Great dialogue shouldn't need more than a few dialogue tags. It’s obvious who’s talking in the third and fourth sentences without using dialogue tags. Having dialogue tags only serves to interrupt the flow of the dialogue and distract your reader. Because there are only two people involved in the conversation, the last two sentences don’t need the tags. It's distracting to use dialogue tags with each sentence. "Who’s all going with you?" asked Monica. Here’s an example of overused dialogue tags: Your dialogue tags should be almost invisible. ![]() # Why Overusing Dialogue Tags Is Badĭialogue tags can distract your reader. We recommend using tags in less than 15% of your dialogue. If who's speaking is obvious to the reader, then skip the dialogue tags. You only need dialogue tags when you need to identify who's talking. You only need street signs when you approach new roads different from the one you’re on so you know where you're going. You don't need to see a street sign every few feet along the road. But it's a delicate balance: if you overuse dialogue tags, you risk distracting your reader from your story.Ī dialogue tag is like a street sign. They are necessary to help readers understand and follow conversations. Dialogue tags are words like "said" and "asked" that identify the speaker. ![]()
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