Using Dialogue Tags Correctly
Showing What a Character Says Instead of Telling
There are a few major pet peeves for all editors. One of them is the use of dialogue tags. What is a dialogue tag? It is a way of letting the reader know who is speaking; for instance “he said”, “she asked” or “the girl hissed”. Though it is easier to use these every time a character speaks, it is not necessarily the best way to do it. There are better ways of doing the same thing.
Use no More Than One Dialogue Tag per Paragraph
One major thing to keep in mind is that once a character has been identified as speaking, further dialogue tags are unnecessary. To add more is not only redundant but they can become obstacles to the reader, road bumps if you will. Writing should always flow, and too much repetitiveness can lose your reader.
“I walked home alone the other night,” Marie stated, rubbing her cold arms. “It was very dark, and I was scared,” she added, shivering at the memory.
There should be no more than one tag for each dialogue paragraph. Here is a better way to write the above.
“I walked home alone the other night,” Marie stated, rubbing her cold arms. “It was very dark, and I was scared.” She shivered at the memory.
Of course not using dialogue tags at all is the best way to write.
“I walked home alone the other night.” Marie rubbed her cold arms. “It was very dark, and I was scared.” She shivered at the memory.
If Words are Breathed, There Would be no Sound
Compare the first and last dialogue paragraphs to judge for yourself, which reads better. Using the last example also prevents making the mistake of using an incorrect method of speech. These incorrect tags include breathed and shrugged (to name only a few). You cannot breathe or shrug a word. Most times ending the dialogue and starting a new sentence can fix them.
Wrong: “I love you,” she breathed into his mouth.
Better: “I love you.” She breathed into his mouth.
The first sentence states she breathed the words into his mouth, which is an incorrect tag. The second states she said the words and then breathed into his mouth, which is grammatically correct. If that changes the intent, it can be stated as follows:
Best: “I love you.” The words floated on her breath into his open mouth.
The above keeps the correct intent without using the incorrect dialogue tag. Just keep in mind it’s always better to avoid using dialogue tags to prevent using them wrong.
How to Use Dialogue Tags
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