We've talked a lot about dialogue tags in the past months.
I have four little kids. I can pretty much look at a baby now and tell you exactly how old it is. How can I do that? Well, I look for indicators. Things like how they talk, walk, hold objects. What they do to get their mother's attention. There are a multitude of little factors that can pretty much tell you within a month, how old a child is. What's my point? There's a few really key indicators to how much experience a writer has too. One of those key factors is dialogue tags, or in a more complete concept, character interaction.
Now, I'm not talking about stylistic differences, such as some people choosing to always use the word "said". Some people insist on using obscure tags, while others occasionally choose a non-said word. For example:
She conveyed
He reflected
She extrapolated
They chorused
He said, melodically
etc. etc.
A whisper is a whisper. A murmur is a murmur. I'll even say things like "growled", "droned", "interjected", "interrupted", etc. are pretty alright in moderation. But they convey more about the voice and character than just finding fancy ways of "dressing up" dialogues.
I'm also specifically talking about techniques that go beyond word choosiness. One of those things is pacing. Pacing is the single most important skill to master, if you ask me. At least in regard to good, solid character interactions. I guess it's sort of like saying dough is the single most important element to a good pizza (which is very debatable...), but for the context of this thread, I'm focusing on exactly what turns a good story into a great one. And one thing that most certainly does, is authentic, natural character interactions. And essential to meeting that goal, is the lowly dialogue tag, sometimes tacked on without a thought, and sometimes obtrusively planted right where it ought not be. And sometimes, it's sorely missed.
So how to determine what's the right choice? We've got "saids", beats, combinations of both, reactions, all kinds of ways of indicating who's speaking and who's doing what while others are speaking.
Well, I mentioned in the revision thread that pacing is the biggest issue. What I mean by that, is that there are a couple reasons pacing in dialogue is important. One, you need to give the reader a moment for certain things to sink in and be understood. In first person, this is easy, in second, it's even easier. With third person, it can be more challenging to give the reader a moment to breathe while a tense interaction is taking place. So dialogue tags, internal thoughts, and actions interspersed can actually greatly aid the reader in "getting" a scene. Sometimes, a rapid-fire feel is absolutely essential to conveying immediacy. At other times, a slower pace is vital to getting the information to sink in without making the scene or reader feel rushed.
Sometimes tension can be increased with a few dramatic pauses, at other times, it would make the scene feel stilted or otherwise unnatural.
But how best to determine when and where to use which technique... First, reading aloud is a great tool. When you read aloud, you're forced to hear what it sounds like, and that can let you know immediately that something isn't working right. I'm absolutely not trying to put forth any one theory as the end all be all of writing, but there's definitely a difference between a well-paced character interaction and one that feels off.
I have four little kids. I can pretty much look at a baby now and tell you exactly how old it is. How can I do that? Well, I look for indicators. Things like how they talk, walk, hold objects. What they do to get their mother's attention. There are a multitude of little factors that can pretty much tell you within a month, how old a child is. What's my point? There's a few really key indicators to how much experience a writer has too. One of those key factors is dialogue tags, or in a more complete concept, character interaction.
Now, I'm not talking about stylistic differences, such as some people choosing to always use the word "said". Some people insist on using obscure tags, while others occasionally choose a non-said word. For example:
She conveyed
He reflected
She extrapolated
They chorused
He said, melodically
etc. etc.
A whisper is a whisper. A murmur is a murmur. I'll even say things like "growled", "droned", "interjected", "interrupted", etc. are pretty alright in moderation. But they convey more about the voice and character than just finding fancy ways of "dressing up" dialogues.
I'm also specifically talking about techniques that go beyond word choosiness. One of those things is pacing. Pacing is the single most important skill to master, if you ask me. At least in regard to good, solid character interactions. I guess it's sort of like saying dough is the single most important element to a good pizza (which is very debatable...), but for the context of this thread, I'm focusing on exactly what turns a good story into a great one. And one thing that most certainly does, is authentic, natural character interactions. And essential to meeting that goal, is the lowly dialogue tag, sometimes tacked on without a thought, and sometimes obtrusively planted right where it ought not be. And sometimes, it's sorely missed.
So how to determine what's the right choice? We've got "saids", beats, combinations of both, reactions, all kinds of ways of indicating who's speaking and who's doing what while others are speaking.
Well, I mentioned in the revision thread that pacing is the biggest issue. What I mean by that, is that there are a couple reasons pacing in dialogue is important. One, you need to give the reader a moment for certain things to sink in and be understood. In first person, this is easy, in second, it's even easier. With third person, it can be more challenging to give the reader a moment to breathe while a tense interaction is taking place. So dialogue tags, internal thoughts, and actions interspersed can actually greatly aid the reader in "getting" a scene. Sometimes, a rapid-fire feel is absolutely essential to conveying immediacy. At other times, a slower pace is vital to getting the information to sink in without making the scene or reader feel rushed.
Sometimes tension can be increased with a few dramatic pauses, at other times, it would make the scene feel stilted or otherwise unnatural.
But how best to determine when and where to use which technique... First, reading aloud is a great tool. When you read aloud, you're forced to hear what it sounds like, and that can let you know immediately that something isn't working right. I'm absolutely not trying to put forth any one theory as the end all be all of writing, but there's definitely a difference between a well-paced character interaction and one that feels off.