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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?
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kevin_williams6mo ago
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.
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karen_hill36mo ago
I mean, is it really that big of a deal? Maybe just use what feels right for the scene.
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parker_webb3mo ago
And isn't that the real point of all this writing advice? It's a tool to help you, not a rule to chain you down.
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the_cameron6mo 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.
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