Dialogue in writing
Dialogue, in literature, is a verbal exchange between two or more characters (but can also involve strategic use of silence).[1] If there is only one character talking aloud, it is a monologue.
Identifiers[edit]
"This breakfast is making me sick," George said.
George said is the identifier.
The identifier has also been called an attributive,[2] a speaker attribution,[3] a speech attribution,[4] a dialogue tag,[5] and a tag line.[6]
Said is the verb most writers use because reader familiarity with said prevents it from drawing attention to itself. Although other verbs such as ask, shout, or reply are acceptable, some identifiers get in the reader's way. For example:
"Hello," he croaked nervously, "my name's Horace."
"What's yours?" he asked with as much aplomb as he could muster.[7]
Stephen King, in his book On Writing, expresses his belief that said is the best identifier to use. King recommends reading a novel by Larry McMurtry, who he claims has mastered the art of well-written dialogue.[8]
Substitutes are known as said-bookisms. For example, in the sentence "What do you mean?" he smiled, the word smiled is a said-bookism.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Bell, Terena (2021-01-28). "Fiction Writing Lessons from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice". Medium. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
- ↑ Strunk & White (1979, pp. 75–6)
- ↑ Browne & King (1993, p. 53)
- ↑ Gerke (2010, p. 114)
- ↑ Kempton (2004, p. 180)
- ↑ Lamb (2008, p. 187)
- ↑ Turco (1989, p. 16)
- ↑ King (2000, p. 127)
References[edit]
- Browne, Renni; King, Dave (1993), Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, New York: Harper Perennial, ISBN 0-06-272046-5
- Crews, Frederick (1977), The Random House Handbook (2nd ed.), New York: Random House, ISBN 0-394-31211-2
- Gerke, Jeff (2010), Plot versus Character: A Balanced Approach to Writing Great Fiction, Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, ISBN 978-1-58297-992-2
- Kempton, Gloria (2004), Write Great Fiction: Dialogue, Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, ISBN 1-58297-289-3
- King, Stephen (2000), On Writing, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, ISBN 0-684-85352-3
- Lamb, Nancy (2008), The Art and Craft of Storytelling: A Comprehensive Guide to Classic Writing Techniques, Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, ISBN 978-1-58297-559-7
- Sebranek, Patrick; Kemper, Dave; Meyer, Verne (2006), Writers Inc.: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning, Wilmington: Houghton Mifflin Company, ISBN 978-0-669-52994-4
- Strunk, William, Jr.; White, E. B. (1979), The Elements of Style (3rd ed.), New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., ISBN 0-02-418220-6
- Turco, Lewis (1989), Dialogue, Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, ISBN 0-89879-349-1
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