All Questions
81 questions
1
vote
2
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114
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If a quotation makes up all of a person's speech does it still need to be in its own quote marks?
I have the following speech in a book I'm designing:
Seeing him hesitate, she said lightly, ‘“‘There’s both meat and music here,’ quoth the dog as he ate the piper’s bag”!’
Essentially someone is ...
2
votes
3
answers
268
views
What's the best way to write a 2-person story, primarily involving interaction?
I am writing a short story that only has 2 characters, and is written in the third person. I am deciding between script-type writing:
Character 1: "Wow! these are my words!" He smiles
...
- 23
1
vote
3
answers
193
views
How do I make my writing flow?
I'm in the skeleton stage, but to get into the rhythm of writing, I write short stories every few days. Upon reviewing them, I've realised that unless I am specifically aiming for abstract and vivid ...
- 902
0
votes
2
answers
149
views
How to provide translations, moods, and registry in multilanguage dialog within an narration in English?
I am starting a serious writing project (a novel book from a story I once drafted as a TV show; I am not a script writer either). Furthermore I decided to write in English, which is not my native ...
2
votes
5
answers
222
views
Is using diverse verbs on action beats to tag speech frowned upon?
Watching a video from an editor yesterday, she said authors should refrain from using too many verbs on action beats, instead relying mostly on "said" and "asked".
I think it is ...
- 1,185
6
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How to write a character who's better than you at sounding professional and doublespeak
I have a character who is an expert at using language to his advantage. Both in terms of doublespeak, subtle put downs and deliberately avoiding the point and making the conversation about something ...
- 607
5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Can dialogue be put in the same paragraph as action text?
I'm a beginner writer, trying to learn fundementals. I'm editing some work now and I'm confused about proper formatting of paragraphs with dialogue.
I know that you should start a new paragraph when ...
- 51
4
votes
1
answer
207
views
Writing a third person limited protagonist without any inner dialogue
I want to write a protagonist that thinks as I do; that is to say, without any inner monologue. I don't even think in images either. It's just abstract thoughts for me. If a place reminds me of my ...
- 41
0
votes
0
answers
762
views
Need help in figuring out how to write dialogue as if my mouth was full (+18)
I saw a similar question, but it didn't really have the answer I was seeking and it wasn't concerned with the same thing — sucking someone, thus the full mouth. I saw an answer there that suggests ...
3
votes
3
answers
913
views
Should ending punctuation be put before or after an ellipsis? Compare ?..., ...?, !... and ...!
Through reading some self-published novels, I have noticed some writers in their character dialogue put an exclamation mark or question mark before an ellipsis and sometimes after. However I am not ...
- 41
5
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Ways to show someone is whispering without using "he whispered"
I've seen a lot of advice that says you should scrap all non-'said' dialogue tags. I can see the value of this, but I'm not sure how to make it work in every instance.
It's pretty easy to show things ...
- 607
1
vote
2
answers
92
views
When a character is mentally recalling prior dialog verbatim, how should it be quoted?
When a character is mentally recalling prior dialog verbatim, should the dialog be surrounded by double-quotes or single-quotes, be italicized, or get no special treatment at all?
For example:
O'...
- 123
0
votes
2
answers
144
views
Formatting new line options with actions and dialogue in fiction
I am getting confused about whether rules determine new paragraph positions or if it's sometimes arbitrary. Some choices seem clear cut, but in the sentence: 'I regarded...' it reads fine to me in ...
0
votes
3
answers
149
views
How to give the voice expression of shouting as well as rhetorical question
While writing dialogue, I came across this confusion. There are some moments when the characters are deep in their thoughts (past troubling thoughts), and something happens that makes them flip-out. ...
- 255
10
votes
8
answers
4k
views
Is italicizing parts of dialogue for emphasis ever appropriate?
Is it ever appropriate to use italics to emphasize parts of dialogue to show which words the speakers is putting emphasis on? I used to do this quite frequently, but I was told that this was a sign of ...
- 4,664
1
vote
2
answers
206
views
Using non-say dialogue tags
Since I took up writing as a hobby, I've learnt that it's recommended to only use "say" and "ask" as dialogue tags, and to skip even these if the attribution can be supplied in ...
- 3,275
1
vote
1
answer
58
views
How to get across to the reader a character’s prophetic abilities
My protagonist is speaking to my interpretation of the three fates from Greek mythology. He doubts their abilities until one of them echoes his every word as, or an instant before, he utters them.
How ...
- 327
2
votes
1
answer
184
views
How do you format dialogue within a paragraph?
He made his way over to the crimson red telephone box that basked in the afternoon sunlight. Ted knew she was hiding in there. “You can come out now." He swung open the door, with a callous look ...
- 23
-1
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Intentionally misspelling words in dialogue
I have a piece of dialogue which sounds great in my head, and the way the character says it is important, but it never looks right when I type it out. At first I tried this:
“Looking and looking... ...
- 1,006
2
votes
2
answers
275
views
Modernized dialogue in fantasy - stylistically untrue or clever genre subversion?
I find myself using words like "kiddo", "bullshit" and "badass" in the more comedic side of dialogue/thoughts in my fantasy novel. At first it was simply me not paying attention, and not caring as I ...
- 4,053
14
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Has anyone ever written a novel or short story composed of only dialogue? [closed]
The participants describe everything needed for the story to continue, within the conversation. The environment, the emotions, everything. The reader gets to "see" it all through their words.
Has it ...
- 251
7
votes
4
answers
535
views
How do I apply Hemingway's dialogue techniques to my own writing?
I open Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises at random (chapter 9).
'I haven't seen you since I've been back,' Brett said.
'No.'
'How are you, Jake?'
'Fine.'
Brett looked at me. 'I say,' she said, ...
3
votes
6
answers
280
views
Can I use spoken English at some places over 'technically accurate English' in a general fiction?
I have written my novel as a 'first person singular' and in past tense. There are lot of times in it where I have written it as I will say it while speaking. I have used phrases which have implied ...
- 2,399
35
votes
10
answers
11k
views
My story is written in English, but is set in my home country. What language should I use for the dialogue?
I'm an amateur writer from the Philippines. I am writing a novelette for an international writing contest. My story is written in English, but is set here, in my country, with my POV character being ...
2
votes
2
answers
118
views
Advice on how to beat word repetition in dialogue [duplicate]
Long story short: I default to simple words like "Said" in dialogue much too often. I'm hesitant to abuse the thesaurus due to advice I've been given, as well.
Slightly longer version: When I'm ...
7
votes
6
answers
47k
views
How to simulate someone talking with a full mouth?
If, for example, someone said : "How are you today?", how would you go about "translating" this into sounding like they were talking with a full-mouth? Like, phonetically.
- 2,041
2
votes
1
answer
272
views
Expressing shock a character feels - is the F word appropriate?
I have a character who has been under stress, both at home and at work. His business is struggling and he was negotiating a complex contract and had the complication of members of the families of the ...
- 12.3k
0
votes
1
answer
134
views
Dialogue in First Person Fiction (Detective Mystery) [closed]
Karl is my detective protagonist. His girlfriend, Jenna, is with him. He is hospitalized, and his boss, Rob Tucker, shows up for a visit. Which example of dialogue is correct? In true first person, ...
- 3
11
votes
2
answers
493
views
Colloquial speech in pre-modern setting
Following this question, I'm struggling with writing the speech of pre-modern (in my case - 5th century) noble-born children among themselves.
Characters who are well-educated would not be making ...
14
votes
2
answers
668
views
What are methods to refer to something that happened but did not make it onto the page?
As writers we're supposed to know more about our stories than the words that make it onto the page. Can a character refer to something that happened, but happened off-page? As the writer, I know that ...
- 23.8k
18
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Referencing modern pop culture in science fiction
A geek today is quite likely to reference the pop culture of 30 years ago: "Do or do not, there is no try", "Beam me up, Scotty" and "Ground control to Major Tom" are easily and commonly recognisable. ...
3
votes
4
answers
364
views
Trying to figure out the correct type punctuation for dialogues
I'm currently writing a story which so far is going well, but I reached a point in the story where I don't know how to proceed. When a character is talking, I write their dialogue just like this:
"...
- 33
3
votes
2
answers
281
views
Indent dialogue to make text look less blocky
I am writing a story but I am trying to indent the dialog because right now it looks like a chunk of text.
My text is
Then a figure under the box moved behind Professor to which John yelled “...
- 279
2
votes
2
answers
94
views
Using a pronoun outside of quotations to refer to a person mentioned in quotations who hasn't been introduced yet
Would the line:
"Peter!" cried his father.
make grammatical sense? It seems to work intuitively, but I'm just not sure. It's also a tough question to google, as it turns out, so any reply would be ...
- 23
28
votes
10
answers
4k
views
Using colloquialisms the reader may not be familiar with
I'm from Ireland, most of my stories take place in Ireland, and many of my characters will speak with Irish accents and/or dialects to varying degrees. For the most part I think this is OK, and can ...
- 1,944
5
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Is inner monologue a bad way to show character traits?
Is directly showing a characters inner thoughts and conversations with themselves too telly or cheesy?
- 351
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is the correct way to write dialogue? [duplicate]
When writing dialogue I usually just make one character say whatever I want them to say and then write "said" at the end, but I feel like I'm doing it wrong.
What is the correct way to write ...
- 149
7
votes
5
answers
305
views
Trudy said - or - said Trudy?
Hope someone can tell me if there are any "rules" about placement of the verb 'said.'
As any avid reader knows, 'said' regularly appears before and after the subject who is speaking. Is ...
- 551
1
vote
3
answers
292
views
How to show two characters are communicating mentally
I'm writing a story where my two main characters have been merged together so that they share a single body. They spend a lot of time discussing things and arguing on what actions to take. This has ...
5
votes
2
answers
180
views
How to write dialogue where only some of the words matter?
Occasionally in a novel, you have a point where there is dialogue, but only parts of it matter. You usually see this where the hero conveniently catches only the words he needs to hear:
He could ...
5
votes
4
answers
839
views
Is it dull to have a world where all characters cannot speak properly?
I am thinking about setting my story in a postapocalyptic world where all art and literature are gone, and people are mostly illiterate. People lost the ability to formulate deep thoughts, became ...
- 3,837
17
votes
9
answers
6k
views
Does misspelling words for the sake of bad English improve the immersion or distract the reader?
I am trying to write a character that speaks English poorly. I do not want to grossly misspell words for sounds or use bad grammar. I find those techniques to sound juvenile and the bad grammar is ...
- 3,739
2
votes
4
answers
274
views
Doing walls of text dialogue right
Shakespeare did it, he did it quite a lot of times, but there are a few problems with it:
He was a screenwriter in an age, where we couldn't afford building enough sets (or cities that don't catch on ...
- 3,347
5
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Are there exceptions to starting a new paragraph for every speaker?
I know that it's one of the golden rules to start a new paragraph every time there's dialogue from a new speaker, but my conundrum is this: what if the two bits of dialogue are sharing a sentence?
...
- 51
5
votes
5
answers
608
views
How do you handle slang with questionable spelling?
Imagine the following common conversation:
Q: What are you up to?
A. The usual
Now imagine it spoken by certain kids these days:
Q: What are you up to?
A: The yooooshj.
My question pertains to the ...
- 333
1
vote
3
answers
391
views
Dialogue and action question
I am currently working on a novel. currently two girls are the only active characters. I am curious if I need to separate the dialogue and action when one character is acting and another is acting ...
- 13
3
votes
2
answers
557
views
How should these be formatted? In quotes or italics?
I have a dilemma here and I hope any one of you can help me with this: I have been using double quotation marks for dialogues and italics for internal dialogues but I have no idea how to categorise ...
- 45
1
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3
answers
1k
views
Onomatopoeia usage, how much of it detracts from the story?
So, in a novel I'm writing, there is a situation where the first-person protagonist is in a lot of pain, so much that she is screaming and sobbing. I've seen the onomatopoeia "Augh" used to ...
- 1,185
10
votes
2
answers
816
views
What is generally the accepted format style for telepathic communication in the midst of verbal communication?
At this point in my story, it's already been revealed that 2 characters share a telepathic link with one another that allows them to communicate to each other with their minds.
"Now before we ...
- 1,042
11
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Using "show not tell" while characters are planning for something that happens
In a narrative I'm writing, the characters have to plan an escape from a facility. The thing is, they'll be doing the actual escape in the chapter following them planning. I know usually the right way ...
- 1,185