Question: Dialogue tags?

[SirLancelot]

Would love to hear thoughts on this. Is it just a matter of personal style? Some seem to use them and go all out with describing the tone, while others keep it as simple as 'he said, she said,' while some try not to use them at all.

 

[Eva Ulian]

Would love to hear thoughts on this. Is it just a matter of personal style? Some seem to use them and go all out with describing the tone, while others keep it as simple as 'he said, she said,' while some try not to use them at all.

Only if I desperately need them will I use dialogue tags, and then I keep it as simple as possible to "said", unless otherwise needed.

 

[James Charles]

Would love to hear thoughts on this. Is it just a matter of personal style? Some seem to use them and go all out with describing the tone, while others keep it as simple as 'he said, she said,' while some try not to use them at all.

Stephen King said, "Use said about 95% of the time." You can put it action etc. along with the tag such as:

"I can't do it," Sam said, turning to go.

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Only if I desperately need them will I use question tags, and then I keep it as simple as possible to "said", unless otherwise needed.

Would love to hear thoughts on this. Is it just a matter of personal style? Some seem to use them and go all out with describing the tone, while others keep it as simple as 'he said, she said,' while some try not to use them at all.

These are options for you to use. But keep in mind, and in your story, how the people in it feel.

 

[MattScho]

In an ideal world, the dialogue itself will act as the tag. The characters are distinctive enough to be recognized by their dialogue.
Using said is usually a good idea when you need that, but if it's dialogue in quote marks, obviously it's being said. So if it works for you to drop that bit, drop it.

 

[SirLancelot]

These are options for you to use. But keep in mind, and in your story, how the people in it feel.

That's a great point!

 

[Jake E]

Would love to hear thoughts on this. Is it just a matter of personal style? Some seem to use them and go all out with describing the tone, while others keep it as simple as 'he said, she said,' while some try not to use them at all.

I find dialogue tags in a conversation between only 2 people to be redundant.
As long as you indicate who started speaking the reader can figure out who's speaking next and so on...

 

[Eva Ulian]

Dialogue tags, I feel, have to have a purpose to exist; then they are indispensable.
For example:
"bla... bla... bla." She said scratching her head furiously; no, not because she was thinking, but because she had lice.

 

[Eva Ulian]

I find dialogue tags in a conversation between only 2 people to be redundant.
As long as you indicate who started speaking the reader can figure out who's speaking next and so on...

Unless the dam thing is so long, you get lost

 

[Brooke]

Would love to hear thoughts on this. Is it just a matter of personal style? Some seem to use them and go all out with describing the tone, while others keep it as simple as 'he said, she said,' while some try not to use them at all.

i think dialogue tags are one of my greatest follies... as a kid, i was OBSESSED with imbuing everything i wrote with as much description as possible, because in my mind, more adjectives equaled better writing.
i've definitely shaken this off now... for the most part; the kid in me still pushes me to add more description that necessary to everything, including dialogue tags. shame on me

 

[Jake E]

It also depends on how you want a scene to read. Tags slow the reader down, so a conversation with tags reads and feels like a fairly normal or sedate conversation.
One without is faster to read and so feels faster and more frenetic.
Depends what you're aiming for

 

[Roz Morris]

Another factor is the tone. 'Said' is the most neutral and straightforward dialogue tag. It allows the characters' words and actions to express everything.
But you might have a book where the narrative voice is commenting on the dialogue scene, for instance in a comic novel or first-person narrative, either fiction or non-fiction. Humorous memoir is a good example, but novels might do it too. In that case, you might get a lot more elaborate with dialogue tags and descriptions, to 'help' the reader. That would be intrusive in a book where the 'narrator' is supposed to be transparent, but crucial in a book where the 'narrator' needs to overtly present the action.

 

[Sedayne]

I find dialogue tags in a conversation between only 2 people to be redundant.
As long as you indicate who started speaking the reader can figure out who's speaking next and so on...

Agree. But I wonder if it's important for an audio version to remind the listener who is speaking when they can't see it on the page? Is it the responsibility of the author or the narrator to differentiate? I'm conscious that many people read by listening now – some by choice, some by necessity.

 

[Hannah F]

I use action beats for the characters as much as possible rather than tags, but sometimes I need tags.

 

[Adrian Bagley]

Variety is the spice of life, right? I find "said" is invisible right up until you overuse it, and then it stabs you in the eye each and every time. I aim for a healthy mix of action tags, dialogue that doesn't need a tag (self-explanatory), more specific tags such as "they replied", and the old faithful, "said". No one approach overused.

 

[JohnBertel]

Isn't it a weird convention that tags usually come after the spoken words? So that we first read what was said, and then are told who said it.

The speaker always comes first in screenplays, plays, court transcripts, and other documents describing conversations.

I'm not advocating for a revolution, I'm just curious about why it became a convention in fiction writing.

 

[Pamela Jo]

i think dialogue tags are one of my greatest follies... as a kid, i was OBSESSED with imbuing everything i wrote with as much description as possible, because in my mind, more adjectives equaled better writing.
i've definitely shaken this off now... for the most part; the kid in me still pushes me to add more description that necessary to everything, including dialogue tags. shame on me

Hold onto that descriptive power. When you master it , it makes the difference between unsalted food and perfectly seasoned. When I read Anya by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer , I thought DAMN. That's how it's meant to be done.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Agree. But I wonder if it's important for an audio version to remind the listener who is speaking when they can't see it on the page? Is it the responsibility of the author or the narrator to differentiate? I'm conscious that many people read by listening now – some by choice, some by necessity.

Good point. Especially when a professional actor isnt used.