Dialogue Tags with Adverbs

Inexperienced authors often add adverbs to their dialogue tags, such as, "He shouted angrily." But good writing doesn't need adverbs to make your readers understand how your characters are thinking or feeling. Your dialogue should be strong enough to convey that emotion by itself.

If your meaning isn't clear without an adverb, then you need to re-examine the content of your dialogue to make it more effective. Here's an example of using an adverb with a dialogue tag:

• "I can't believe you forgot my birthday," Mary said angrily.

You should aim to keep your use of adverbs to under 12% of your dialogue tags.

Removing Adverbs From Your Dialogue Tags

If more than 12% of your dialogue tags have adverbs, it's time to remove some of those adverbs. To do so, take a hard look at your writing.

When possible, you should try to omit dialogue tags completely. Dialogue tags can distract your reader and interrupt the flow of your dialogue.

Ask yourself, "Does the reader need this dialogue tag to know who is speaking?" If they don't, you can get rid of the dialogue tag. You may cut down on your adverbs with dialogue tags by just removing dialogue tags in general. Let's rework our example:

• Mary slammed her hand on the table. "I can't believe you forgot my birthday."

What about instances when you definitely want to keep the dialogue tag?

• "It's okay, I'm on my way home now," she said soothingly.

In these cases, see if you can beef up the dialogue and lose the adverb:

• "You just sit tight and pop the kettle on for me," she said. "I'll be home before you know it."

 

Common Questions about Dialogue Tags with Adverbs

 

Can I use adverbs with dialogue tags?

 

Learn more about Dialogue:

• Dialogue Tags
•  Dialogue Tags with Adverbs
•  Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

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Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

Dialogue tags are words like "said" and "asked" that show the reader who is doing the talking. The problem is that dialogue tags also distract from the dialogue itself, especially if they are nonstandard dialogue tags like "shouted," "whispered," "repeated," "ventured," and more. Instead of using dialogue tags to tell the emotions of the character, you should show their emotions through their actions and dialogue.

Showing emotions makes your writing more engaging. Take a look at this chart we put together based on analysis of published fiction.

 

As you can see, published authors use "said" as their dialogue tag over 60% of the time. The second most used is "asked" at just under 10%. The other, nonstandard dialogue tags are used only used a small proportion of the time. Because of this data, we recommend keeping your use of dialogue tags other than "said" and "asked" to under 20% of your dialogue tags.

How Nonstandard Dialogue Tags Distract Your Reader

Good writing shows the reader how characters feel rather than telling the reader how the characters feel. When you "show" rather than "tell," you engage your reader more in your text because the reader gets to make inferences and use their imagination more.

Consider the following examples:

Example 1

"You left me alone at the party," Jessica spat at her boyfriend.

"You were mad at me," Mark said as he looked as his phone.

Jessica yelled, "This is over!"

Example 2

Jessica glared at her boyfriend as he played on his phone. "You left me alone at that party."

"You were mad at me," Mark said without looking up.

Jessica stormed towards the door. "This is over."

The second example lets the reader connect more with the characters. Instead of telling the reader exactly how the characters are feeling, the writer lets their actions do the talking. As a reader, you get a better sense of the characters as fully developed beings.

 

Common Questions about Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

Why should I stick to "said" and "asked" as my dialogue tags?

 

Learn more about Dialogue:

• Dialogue Tags
•  Dialogue Tags with Adverbs
•  Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

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Using Dialogue Tags

Dialogue tags are words like "said" and "asked" that identify the speaker. They are necessary to help readers understand and follow conversations. But it's a delicate balance: if you overuse dialogue tags, you risk distracting your reader from your story.

A dialogue tag is like a street sign. You don't need to see a street sign every few feet along the road. You only need street signs when you approach new roads different from the one you’re on so you know where you're going.

You only need dialogue tags when you need to identify who's talking. If who's speaking is obvious to the reader, then skip the dialogue tags. We recommend using tags in less than 15% of your dialogue.

Why Overusing Dialogue Tags Is Bad

Dialogue tags can distract your reader. Your dialogue tags should be almost invisible. Here’s an example of overused dialogue tags:

"Where are you going?" asked Monica.
"I’m off to the store," said Chandler.
"Who’s all going with you?" asked Monica.
"Just Joey and Ross," said Chandler.

It's distracting to use dialogue tags with each sentence. Because there are only two people involved in the conversation, the last two sentences don’t need the tags. Having dialogue tags only serves to interrupt the flow of the dialogue and distract your reader.

Here's how you can change it:

"Where are you going?" asked Monica.
"I’m off to the store," said Chandler.
"Who’s all going with you?"
"Just Joey and Ross."

It’s obvious who’s talking in the third and fourth sentences without using dialogue tags.

Great dialogue shouldn't need more than a few dialogue tags. If more than 15% of your dialogue has dialogue tags, it's time to remove some!

Common Questions about Dialogue Tags

 

Should I use dialogue tags in my writing?

 

Learn more about Dialogue:

• Dialogue Tags
•  Dialogue Tags with Adverbs
•  Nonstandard Dialogue Tags

 

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Reading Great Writing can Help You Find Your Own Voice | Writing Tip Of The Day

Writing Tip Of The Day

 

Reading Great Writing can Help You Find Your Own Voice

 Reading great writing can help you find your own voice and hone your writing skills. Read a variety of genres. It also helps to read the same genre as your novel. If you’re writing a thriller, then read other thrillers that show how to build tension, create plot points, and how to do the big reveal at the climax of the story.

 Also see:

• Need to read more? Find free Kindle eBooks from a massive selection of genres.  
• Free Classic Short Stories, Novels, Poetry and Books on Writing

 

 

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On the Subject of Burning Books by Kurt Vonnegut

On the Subject of Burning Books

by Kurt Vonnegut

 

     And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.

    So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.

-- Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country 

About the Author

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works, with further collections being published after his death. Wikipedia

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When Writing Your Leading Characters be a Sadist by Kurt Vonnegut | Writing Quote

When Writing Your Leading Characters be a Sadist

by Kurt Vonnegut

 

Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them–in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

-- Kurt Vonnegut

 

About the Author

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works, with further collections being published after his death. Wikipedia

Buy Kurt Vonnegut Books at Amazon

The Art of the Novelist by Henry Burrowes Lathrop

The Art of the Novelist by Henry Burrowes Lathrop

About the Book

In historical fiction the plot is set in the past, and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the period portrayed. Some authors choose to include famous historical figures in their fictional plots, so that audiences can imagine how those individuals might have responded to the plots and environments established by the author. The Western literary component of this genre is founded in the early 19th century works of such authors as Sir Walter Scott, Honoré de Balzac, James Fenimore Cooper, and Leo Tolstoy.

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