Dialogue is an important part of any story. It gives insight into the relationships between characters, it can reveal a lot about the speaker, and it can move the story forward—if it’s done correctly. Am I the most knowledgeable person when it comes to writing it? Absolutely not. But I know a few things.

Said Versus Asked, Shouted, Whispered, Grumbled, Huffed…

There is this on-going debate between using the word “said” over every other verb used to describe character dialogue. Some people say “said” is too overused, others think it’s the only word that should be used. I’m here to say, do whatever you want, at least for your first initial draft. Focus on getting the story out and then work on developing it.

Whether you use said or grumbled, whispered, shouted, coughed, huffed, hissed is a matter of style and genre, I feel. Personally, I tend to stick with just using the word said, but I’ve been known to dabble in the salacious use of other verbs.

My advice would be to think about your readers. If you are writing children’s books, middle-grade fiction, or YA novels, a “they whispered,” “he shouted,” or “she grumbled” is completely fine to use. If you are looking to write more standard or literary fiction, however, I’d suggest sticking with said and sometimes asked, but only sometimes.

Are You Talking to Me? How Many Dialogue Tags Is Too Many Dialogue Tags?

An issue I have with dialogue tags is figuring out how often I should use them. Too many, I find, can ruin the flow of a conversation between characters. Not using enough of them can cause confusion as to who is speaking. Sometimes it is just a matter of finding the right balance.

Ideally readers should be able to tell who is talking without relying on dialogue tags. Characters voices should be unique and easy to distinguish. Try the following exercise to explore your character’s unique voice:

Pick two of the following words that best describe your character:

• Blunt
• Honest
• Kind
• Determined
• Inquisitive
• Shy
• Mean
• Misunderstood
• Deliberative
• Complicated
• Simple
• Anxious
• Adaptable
• Affectionate

With those two words in mind, explore the following:

• How would this character deliver bad news?
• How would they communicate with a best friend? How about a stranger?
• How do they respond when talking about an activity they like over one they hate?
• How would your character share a secret or gossip with another person?
• How would they flirt with someone they like?
• How would they argue with a best friend? How about someone they hate?

Outside of working on your characters voice, you could also play with using subtle actions in place of dialogue tags. On top of clarifying who is speaking, they can also help paint a more vivid picture of the scene taking place. For example: “I just don’t know what to do.” Mark took a sip of his coffee. “Should I dump Jessica and ask John out?”

Dialogue can be a tricky thing to write, but a little bit of practice and re-writing, your characters will start having conversations in no time.