My writing teacher told me to never use dialogue tags other than 'said'

I followed that rule for a year, but my characters all started sounding flat. Has anyone found a good middle ground?

3 comments

3 Comments

Honestly, this reminds me of all those "one simple rule" life hacks that just don't work in the real world... like saying you should never eat carbs. Sure, "said" is invisible and that's good, but sometimes a character whispers or shouts. The trick is just not to get fancy with it every single time. It's about balance, not some strict law you can never break.

karen_hill39d ago

I mean, is it really that big of a deal? Maybe just use what feels right for the scene.

the_cameron9d ago

Wait, did @karen_hill3 just say it's not a big deal? The whole mood falls apart if you pick the wrong one. It's the most basic part of setting a scene.