Formatting a Story Teller’s Dialog
How do you format dialogue in a story?
What are the basic rules for formatting dialogue in a story? The basic rules for formatting dialogue in a story include using quotation marks around the spoken words, separating the dialogue from the rest of the text with a new line or indentation, and including the appropriate punctuation within the quotation marks.
How do you format dialogue in Word?
Dialogue Format Rules
- Enclose the spoken words with double quotation marks.
- Dialogue tags (the he asked/she said portions) stay outside the quotes and get separated by a comma.
- Actions that occur before or after the dialogue go in a separate sentence.
- Punctuation goes inside the quotes.
Do you indent dialogue in MLA format?
Just as for prose, poetry block quotations (3+ lines) should begin on a new line. Unless the quotation involves unusual spacing, format it as you would prose: indent each line one-inch from margin and double-space the lines.