tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052003455667869062.post8677458630230335565..comments2024-01-17T22:00:41.839-08:00Comments on Full Throttle and F**k It: AttributionSteve Malleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17561234111786788616noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052003455667869062.post-33077916924371064112010-12-24T10:02:07.949-08:002010-12-24T10:02:07.949-08:00I try to remember to go through at the end of the ...I try to remember to go through at the end of the editing process and look for "saids" that can be cut, although some I leave simply because I like the effect on the rhythm. <br /><br />I also like to stick "bits of business" in dialogue for another reason besides simply getting rid of a "said": they're a way to show a passage of time between one utterance and the next, w is often useful if the train of thought of the second sentence doesn't exactly follow directly on the first. They can also be used to give hints about the speaker's state of mind, mood, or personality.cs harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13708705800818667923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052003455667869062.post-73912426187535393522010-12-23T08:28:57.856-08:002010-12-23T08:28:57.856-08:00My style usually splits the difference. I throw i...My style usually splits the difference. I throw in a good number of dialogue tags, but also use--as you do--the opportunity to sneak in a little action, instead. I tend to look at my pages as big blocks that need breaking up and try to put in a little white space for variation when the writing permits.<br /><br />And I break the "rule" when I feel I need to. Blanket rules are silly things and I don't usually abide by them.AvDBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16574481780173046619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052003455667869062.post-73708668773537655322010-12-15T18:44:52.751-08:002010-12-15T18:44:52.751-08:00For what it's worth, I've also noticed two...For what it's worth, I've also noticed two other things:<br /><br />My side-project Steampunk novel *likes* 'said'. The rhythms of that dialogue perfectly reflect the beat of that novel.<br /><br />And a recent reread of Crossroad Blues turned up several breakings of the 'sacred rule'. The cast growls, whispers and shouts as necessary. And on close examination, each of those attributions was the leanest, cleanest way to get the point across...<br /><br />Just for some reason, that's not how this novel rolls... :)Steve Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561234111786788616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052003455667869062.post-30210499447357912712010-12-15T07:43:04.137-08:002010-12-15T07:43:04.137-08:00I still use 'em, probably more than I need too...I still use 'em, probably more than I need too. I like them at times because they change the rhythm or beat of the story. Often they are not needed. For sure.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052003455667869062.post-12206872312579889362010-12-14T19:28:58.420-08:002010-12-14T19:28:58.420-08:00I did that for a few years, writing without dialog...I did that for a few years, writing without dialogue tags. [nod] Back when I was still paying attention to fads re: dialogue construction, there was a period (early- to mid-nineties, somewhere in there IIRC) when the accepted wisdom was that dialogue tags were for losers. Before that it'd been anything <i>but</i> "said" as a dialogue tag, but that eventually fell away and we were to offer all our dialogue naked. :P So I wrote without them for a however many years, until the fad changed again and we were back to using "said," because it's an invisible word, you see.<br /><br />That's the point where I got off the merry-go-round. I'd torch the thing if I could, because it's ridiculous. It's not about what's "best," it's about what's popular, what's trendy, and what the folks who like to impress others by making hip pronouncements think they can get away with in their constant mission to make the little people dance for them.<br /><br />Going without dialogue tags, as in your first example up there, can be very effective. [nod] It depends what you're trying to accomplish, your style, the tone of the piece, etc. I usually use a blend of techniques now, depending on what I'm writing and how I want it to come across to the reader.<br /><br />In the case of Jackson, who wants Christmas off but isn't willing to say so to the fat man, even with a gun to back him up, I agree that the no-tag example is the most effective. :)<br /><br />AngieAngiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11920578701763415331noreply@blogger.com