Asked by: Tammy Sullivan

What are some examples of dialogue tags?

“Amy said,” “Amy inhaled,” “Amy exclaimed,” and “Amy said enthusiastically” are all different examples of dialogue tags. We’re going to talk about which ones work, and which are less effective. Dialogue tags are invisible and useful when done well, but they can kick a reader out of a story so quickly when they aren’t.

Can an action be a dialogue tag?

A dialogue tag looks like “Sarah said” or “he whispered”. It “tags” the dialogue to a particular character. An action beat can be almost any sentence! It might be an action (“John closed the curtains”) or a thought or description.

How do you write an action in dialogue?

Writing movement and action in dialogue: 6 tips

1. Use background action to add tone and mood.
2. Add movement to dialogue to keep the story moving.
3. Use mid-dialogue actions for tense interruption.
4. Reveal character relationships through movement and action.
5. Add dramatic emphasis to characters’ emotions in a scene.

How do you write action beats in dialogue?

What are the do’s and don’ts of using action beats?

1. Don’t use so many beats that it interrupts the flow of the dialogue. As long as it’s obvious who’s speaking, we don’t need a tag or a beat. …
2. Try not to use boring or repetitive actions. …
3. Use a period, not a comma between the dialogue and an action beat.

What are action tags?

An action tag is when an author uses an action rather than a speech tag like “he/she said” to let the reader know who’s speaking. For example, when writing dialogue, I could use a speech tag (which is in bold): “Sarah, why didn’t you text me back?” Jane asked.