Dialogue Tags

[LMStephens]

I wonder if people still read printed books. In printed books when characters are talking, you do not always have to keep using dialogue tags especially if it's just two people talking. You know who is talking because the earlier dialogue tags sets the pattern showing the flow of conversation exchange.

Example:
Person A and Person B are talking.

"How are you today?" Person A asks.

"I'm good." Person B replies.

"Did you hear about Person C? They're in the hospital."
(No need for a dialog tag here because you know that there are only two people talking so it's obvious that Person A is talking)

"No, I didn't hear about Person C. What happened?"
(Once again, you know that it is Person B responding to Person A because it's only two people in the scene talking)

 

[SailusGebel]

Is this a rant or advice?

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

I wonder if people still read printed books. In printed books when characters are talking, you do not always have to keep using dialogue tags especially if it's just two people talking. You know who is talking because the earlier dialogue tags sets the pattern showing the flow of conversation exchange.

Example:
Person A and Person B are talking.

"How are you today?" Person A asks.

"I'm good." Person B replies.

"Did you hear about Person C? They're in the hospital."
(No need for a dialog tag here because you know that there are only two people talking so it's obvious that Person A is talking)

"No, I didn't hear about Person C. What happened?"
(Once again, you know that it is Person B responding to Person A because it's only two people in the scene talking)

I put diavologue tags because I get loss in the dialogue and don not know who talks

 

[MissPaige36]

Is this a rant or advice?

I’ve reread the orginal post and I have no idea. Maybe it’s a bit of both? Like fun fact! As if we all didn’t know that

 

[Ritz]

It doesn't just have to be between two people, as long as its coherent.

 

[SailusGebel]

I’ve reread the orginal post and I have no idea. Maybe it’s a bit of both? Like fun fact! As if we all didn’t know that

If it's advice, there is already an extensive guide about dialogues. However, not everyone knows about it, especially newer members. So, if OP wanted to give advice, I'm going to be blunt about it. It's not needed. Older members can always link that guide to newbies who can't find it themselves.

 

[Psycholor]

If it's advice, there is already an extensive guide about dialogues. However, not everyone knows about it, especially newer members. So, if OP wanted to give advice, I'm going to be blunt about it. It's not needed. Older members can always link that guide to newbies who can't find it themselves.

Op is bitching about a review they received. It was really harsh, and not everything in it was fair, but overall a lot of what was said (The dialogue is confusing and hard to follow) is accurate. (I also read the story and found a lot of the same issues.)

Hopefully, they stop spamming the forum soon, and just go write.

 

[LordJoyde]

Op is bitching about a review they received. It was really harsh, and not everything in it was fair, but overall a lot of what was said (The dialogue is confusing and hard to follow) is accurate. (I also read the story and found a lot of the same issues.)

Hopefully, they stop spamming the forum soon, and just go write.

If this is the first time this has happened to them, I don't think they'll soon forget it. LMAO

 

[LMStephens]

Is this a rant or advice?

Eeeehhhh...a bit of both?

I put diavologue tags because I get loss in the dialogue and don not know who talks

Nothing wrong with that.

I’ve reread the orginal post and I have no idea. Maybe it’s a bit of both? Like fun fact! As if we all didn’t know that

Ummm....not everybody knows that sweety...not everybody know the same thing. There are no absolutes. If you already know, then keep scrolling by, obviously I'm not directing this at people who already know.

It doesn't just have to be between two people, as long as its coherent.

Yea, I know it can happen between more than two people, it's just that I personally limit it to two people.

 

[Bartun]

I wonder if people still read printed books. In printed books when characters are talking, you do not always have to keep using dialogue tags especially if it's just two people talking. You know who is talking because the earlier dialogue tags sets the pattern showing the flow of conversation exchange.

Example:
Person A and Person B are talking.

"How are you today?" Person A asks.

"I'm good." Person B replies.

"Did you hear about Person C? They're in the hospital."
(No need for a dialog tag here because you know that there are only two people talking so it's obvious that Person A is talking)

"No, I didn't hear about Person C. What happened?"
(Once again, you know that it is Person B responding to Person A because it's only two people in the scene talking)

I must admit I overused dialogue tags in the first chapters of my book, so now I'm trying to make these easy-to-read dialogues, still, sometimes the dialogue goes in an unexpected direction, and is convenient to use dialogue tags.

 

[SailusGebel]

Eeeehhhh...a bit of both?

Oh, then, as I said somewhere above, your advice isn't needed, sorry. There is an extensive guide that covers what you mentioned. However, you can still write it, and you can, of course, rant as much as you like.

 

[LMStephens]

Oh, then, as I said somewhere above, your advice isn't needed, sorry. There is an extensive guide that covers what you mentioned. However, you can still write it, and you can, of course, rant as much as you like.

It's cool.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Hate it when it's more than 3 people without clear cuts of either action(as in interactions) or conversation splits to signal a change between people. Oddly enough I was fine with two people dialogues without tags. Until an hour ago.

Story I was reading had only two characters talking. Perfectly fine, no worries, exposition sprinkled in without doing a hard-stop to the pacing. Then there was a blatant pov shift between them. Every shift wasn't eased into and was jarring. The main thing was that the author decided to do this:

"talk talkity talk," person 1.

—talk talko tolk, person 2

-scene break-

"talk talko tolk," person 2

—talk talkity talk, person 1.

I have no idea how they thought this was a good idea. Clearly, they spent the effort to make sure that we could tell who was talking without adding who it was. But then they switched it around for four scenes in the same conversation.

Please don't do this.

 

[vaurwyn]

I wonder if people still read printed books.

Yes they do. I do. And I know more people who read printed books than online.

In printed books when characters are talking, you do not always have to keep using dialogue tags especially if it's just two people talking. You know who is talking because the earlier dialogue tags sets the pattern showing the flow of conversation exchange.

That's not a question of whether the book is printed or not, it is a question of quality of writing. Your characters are supposed to be distinct enough that when they talk, you can recognise their voice. Of course, you still need to be reasonable, and you really shouldn't write something like "Person A asks". You need to multitask, and add something to the scene with your dialogue tags. For example : "I'm good" Person be responded andsentmidendly, still focusing on...
Dry and dull writing is a flaw whether it is in a online or not

 

[Maldon]

Op is bitching about a review they received. It was really harsh, and not everything in it was fair, but overall a lot of what was said (The dialogue is confusing and hard to follow) is accurate. (I also read the story and found a lot of the same issues.)

Hopefully, they stop spamming the forum soon, and just go write.

Honestly the review doesn't even seem that harsh.
I would like to get reviews like that, it seemed very thorough.

 

[LMStephens]

Yes they do. I do. And I know more people who read printed books than online.

That's not a question of whether the book is printed or not, it is a question of quality of writing. Your characters are supposed to be distinct enough that when they talk, you can recognise their voice. Of course, you still need to be reasonable, and you really shouldn't write something like "Person A asks". You need to multitask, and add something to the scene with your dialogue tags. For example : "I'm good" Person be responded andsentmidendly, still focusing on...
Dry and dull writing is a flaw whether it is in a online or not

All of what you said, I already know. The example I posted is not how I write my dialogue. It's just an EXAMPLE to show that you don't have to always use dialogue tags... Also, I do not get what your point is in saying that it's not a question of whether the book is printed or not. That's not the point that I was making. The point I was making is that they don't always use dialog tags in printed books so you don't have to do that in webnovels.

Honestly the review doesn't even seem that harsh.
I would like to get reviews like that, it seemed very thorough.

I never said the review was harsh. As I said in a response to someone else, the review did point out good points that I intend to use in editing my post. Just because some parts of the review were good doesn't mean that other parts weren't.

 

[LMStephens]

I have moved on from this thread and I am a big enough person to say that I'm sorry to everyone if I sounded a bit snarky and petty in my responses. It was not my intent to come across as hyper defensive and sensitive.