tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314337119339520012.post1561573426847042671..comments2024-03-27T04:44:56.042-04:00Comments on A Word of Encouragement: He Said/She SaidLaura Hodges Poolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03922456545952355890noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314337119339520012.post-46994791318228365282012-03-24T12:48:47.833-04:002012-03-24T12:48:47.833-04:00Gail, my answer is below. I thought I'd hit th...Gail, my answer is below. I thought I'd hit the reply button, but it created a new comment instead.Laura Hodges Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03922456545952355890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314337119339520012.post-59640070992524588392012-03-24T12:47:23.819-04:002012-03-24T12:47:23.819-04:00Yes, the preferred method for fiction is no tags (...Yes, the preferred method for fiction is no tags (for now). Of course, if the dialogue sounds awkward without the tag, or if the reader can't discern who's talking, the tag is necessary. But as Gail Gaymer Martin mentions on her blog (and she has several entries about dialogue), she has written several books with no tags at all. However, you can't just cut tags without creating an action for the speaker, otherwise, your reader will become confused about who's talking. I'm not sure this is done as easily in non-fiction, especially in devotions, although if you look at my last WOW submission, with five lines of dialogue, I used two tags. So I would say, as a writer, challenge yourself to cut the tags and rewrite where you can.Laura Hodges Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03922456545952355890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314337119339520012.post-89100422310360937982012-03-24T12:20:45.157-04:002012-03-24T12:20:45.157-04:00I didn't actually realize that deleting tag li...I didn't actually realize that deleting tag lines was preferred. I like what you've written, and it reads easily and smoothly, as you said. But I sometimes get submissions with tag lines left out and they sound awkward to me. Are there times it's better to use them or tips for omitting them?Gail @ http://biblelovenotes.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17462629145629813283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314337119339520012.post-25130623496791197772012-03-22T21:28:22.054-04:002012-03-22T21:28:22.054-04:00Thanks, Heather. You made several good points. I a...Thanks, Heather. You made several good points. I agree when three people are in the conversation, you may need tags at times, but as you can see in my examples, if the action matches with the person speaking, you can use the tags sparingly. The thing to remember with writing is there are exceptions to everything. Also, veteran writers with several books published can break rules or negotiate the editing in their manuscripts, mainly because trends don't always match with what is grammatically correct. <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and commenting!Laura Hodges Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03922456545952355890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4314337119339520012.post-66193846035462006792012-03-22T19:09:57.248-04:002012-03-22T19:09:57.248-04:00Excellent post! Something I've had to learn as...Excellent post! Something I've had to learn as I've gotten edited. Sometimes, you do have to put in dialogue tags, if there are 3 or more people speaking, or if it's not clear your character is shouting, etc. But you're totally right. It reads much faster w/out the extraneous he/she said. <br /><br />That said, I just picked up a famous historical fiction writer's book, and it's full of dialogue tagging and adverbs! Shocking but true. I suppose there are some exceptions.<br /><br />Thanks for posting this!Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.com