🥑 keep it simple

If you haven’t downloaded my Thirty Tools to Tackle the Post-Draft Blues resource, what are you waiting for? It’s free, fun, and relentlessly practical.

We already did a series on dialogue/action tags—but today, we’ll talk about making those tags good. Here are three tips to remember.

🥑 Keep your dialogue tags simple.

Your best friends are said and asked. Use these 90% of the time.

Relatives like whispered and screamed round out the other 10%.

🥑 Take risks BEFORE you publish.

You’re allowed to think outside the box for zany, clever, or unusual dialogue tags—as long as you remember this: your audience—not you—will decide if your choices work.

Take the risk if you want! But if it distracts, annoys, or misleads your reader, it’s not an asset to your story. Better for your beta readers to tell you before publishing than your two-star review after.

🥑 Never use more than two dialogue tags in a row.

Wait, is that a definitive never statement? From the guy who talks about nuance?

It is. Now you get to decide if you listen or not.

Whenever you have more than two paragraphs with dialogue tags in a row, consider cutting one or more of the tags.

Short, snappy dialogue? Tags might get in the way.

Trading monologues? Tags might help us keep track of who’s talking.

Know your options. Make a choice on purpose.

Remember to share this with your writing friends!

Next time: action tag tips.

Want feedback on your dialogue? Reply to this email with a sample of your dialogue and I may use it in a future Bite.

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^{Avocado Bites is a publication of Avocado Tree Press, LLC, that helps you revise your stories one bite at a time. We love working with indie and traditionally published authors on fiction manuscripts—and if that’s you, welcome to our target audience.}

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