Sorry to be running a day late, but I still want to be sure none of you guys miss John Howell’s great reminder of how important it is to use dialogue tags (or not use them) correctly. Check out his post on Story Empire and you’ll see what I mean. And if you would, please consider passing it along on social media so others can enjoy it, too. Thanks, and thanks to John for reminding us that it’s critical to do this well! Great post, John! 🙂
Hello SEers. It’s John with you again, and today we are going to discuss dialogue tags.
Photo from Pixabay
Hold on. Before you run off or decide to take a nap give me a moment to introduce the subject.
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We all know dialogue tags are intended to make it very clear who is doing the talking. Especially if there are more than two people involved.
Photo by Pixabay
Many authors also use dialogue tags for emotions or other indications about how the words are delivered. There is nothing wrong with this but the chance of overdoing it to a point of complicating the action and confusing the reader is always present.
Photo by Pixabay
So, what do I want to accomplish today? My objective is simple. I want to cause a little thought about dialogue tags. “Yes, the person with the raised hand. You have a question?” “Why…
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The Write Stuff 
Thank you, Marcia, for the share.😊
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Always a pleasure, John, and this is a subject many of us struggle with, so I’m especially happy to pass along your helpful thoughts on the matter. 🙂
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😊
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Heading over to read, Marcia. I sure do hope that I have these down by now! Lol.
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Pretty sure you’re a master at these, Diana! But thanks for stopping by, and for checking out John’s post! Lots of good stuff going on over at Story Empire. 🙂
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I admit to not using “said” exclusively, but I never use “exclaimed vehemently.” Lol.
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I can’t make that claim. I might have done so in the past, as it’s been a real learning experience for me. But hopefully I’ve learned better over the last six and a half years or so. 🙂 Now I’m trying to use tags as little as possible, letting the dialogue itself keep readers informed as to who’s speaking. We’ll see how that works. 😉 They say readers don’t even notice “he said,” but I can tell you enough of them in a row will drive me batty. 😀
And people I meet so often tell me they think they’ll write a book someday. Ha. They have no clue what lies in store if they finally give it a go. And I know this, because I once said that, too! 😀 😀 😀
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Same here. Too many in a row are annoying. And yes, on trying to cut down on tags altogether. Usually, the dialog and action can indicate who’s speaking just fine. 🙂
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That’s one of my new goals, Diana! Glad you agree. Your books are so well done, it’s a pleasure to read them. And I’d say that even without Raze to lure me in. Probably. 😀 😀 😀
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Ha! ❤
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