Dialogue Tags and Your First Novel

When you first started to write your book (look at you, on the ball!) you found the word "said" to be incredibly boring.  In a decent chain of dialogue, that word can get repeated a million times.  As you wrote your story, I'm sure you ended up going back over the parts you just read, and when you do, you see; no, you feel how repetitive "said" is.  It begins to really dig at you, and so you start to come up with some more exciting modifiers to use instead of the mayonnaise-like "said".  

Let's clarify what a dialogue tag is:

"Hello," Joe said
"What's it to ya?" muttered Henry.

There are two camps on the subject of dialogue tags.  One group of writers will say that dialogue tags should stay simple like "said" or the occasional "asked".  In their opinions (and this is mostly true) the word "said" ends up getting shoved to the back of our reading experience and almost disappears altogether.  Subconsciously it keeps the reader aware of who is speaking, but for the most part they skip right over it.  Think back to the last book you read (assuming it had dialogue); do you remember really reading all of the name tags the writer put in there?  Probably not, and that's why you should keep it simple.  Dialogue tags other than the basics will draw attention to themselves, slowing down the pace (which could kill your story), and may cause the reader to stumble over them.  Remember, you don't even need dialogue tags but every so often.  Look at it like this:

"Okay Joe," mumbled Larry, "it's time to get going."

"But why?" cried Joe.

"Because," grumbled Larry, "work is work and it's time you get to it!"

"Oh man.  Can't I just sleep in for once?" said Joe.

"Dad's gonna kill you if you do it again.  Let's go!" spat Larry.


See how I used "mumbled", "cried", and "grumbled" instead of "said"?  If you want fast dialogue, avoid the use of such tags.  Take a look at this example, this time with the tags cleaned up:


"Okay Joe," said Larry, "it's time to get going."

"But why?" asked Joe.

"Because work is work and it's time you get to it!"

"Oh man.  Can't I just sleep in for once?"

"Dad's gonna kill you if you do it again.  Let's go!"


This second time I only used enough dialogue tags so the reader can identify who is speaking.  Then I remove them altogether so that the conversation can happen quickly.  Notice how much quicker the conversation can occur when you keep it simple and use them sparingly? In an urgent scene, it will help the reader feel a sense of urgency.

The other camp will use the heck out of them when they need to.  If you open a book by Patrick Rothfuss or Joe Abercrombie, you'll see pretty quick they don't belong to any camp exclusively.  In one chapter, you may encounter a slew of intricate dialogue tags/modifiers, and the next it may be quick paced, action-talk.   That's because the use of dialogue tags and modifiers can be genre specific.  Do you know what that means?  Well, my dear friend, it means that fantasy novels and modern day thrillers are written differently.  They adhere to different rules, and don't always have to play the "quick and hard" game for the reader.  Fantasy novels are just as much about the minute details as is they are about the progression of the story via dialogue.  This is not so of modern day thrillers.

Think about your novel.  Think about what genre you are writing.  What specifics do you notice one author using that seems to contradict another?  Trust me, you'll find out a lot about stinkin' "rules" and who gets published (and subsequently who doesn't).

Don't overuse, don't under-use, and let your story dictate what it needs for it to be told.

Be weary of people that say you must stick with camp number 1.  That is poor advice, and will get it written in a corner you won't know how to get out of.  Pay attention to the authors that you enjoy, and why you enjoy them.  And for God's sake, look at how they use dialogue tags!

So how about you?  What's your novel about?  Are you locked into a genre, and if so, do you have a specific camp you feel you have to adhere to?  Let us know about it in the comments below.  As always, like it, love it, share it, follow it.

Writing the Perfect Scene: Show Don't Tell

In my last post I spoke about my first grimy introduction to literary criticism from other writers.  If you didn't read it (shame, shame) then you should probably go back and do that now.  Look, I'll even include a link to it (see how well I treat you?).  In short, criticism sucks, but it will make your writing better.  But that doesn't mean that everything another writer throws your way should be taken like the words of Jesus Himself (remember, there's a lot of unpublished writers who stick to the rules).

I wanted to discuss some of the rules that you're gonna hear in connection to your narrative.  Some of them may be worth paying attention to, or at least keeping in the back of your mind while you are crafting away.  Others might be outright dumb, genre specific, creative writing course style bull crap.  Okay, you're right; I shouldn't call it bull crap ... I insult the feces of the bovine brethren too much. Let's  take a look at one of the "rules" I found most helpful.

Show The Reader, Don't Tell 

This one seems pretty straight forward, right?  I mean, you are writing a novel after all, and the point is for your readers is to see what's inside your head ... right?  This "rule" is somewhat deceitful in it's simplicity, because it is complex to adhere to.  The heart and soul of this rule is to have the dialogue (character interactions) drive the story forward while you show the reader what's going on.  Showing people something is one of the first skills we learn as mortal creatures (like the baby on the right), but it seems to be something we lose the older we get.  Look at this example:

Telling

 John was angry because his wife was leaving him.

Showing

John slammed his fist down on the bare kitchen table.  "Why can't we fix this, Helen?" he said.  "Why won't you just try!"

"Because," Helen said with her back towards him, "you'll never change."


See the difference in the (poor) example above?  Telling the reader simply states a fact.  It's boring, uninteresting, and leaves nothing for the reader to imagine.  Showing the reader changes everything.  You don't have to spell it out for the reader; they are clever creatures, and can get that John is angry with his wife ... if you write it well enough.

 "What about back story?" you may ask.  "How will the reader know what's going on unless I give them three pages of backstory before the opening scene?"

Good question, my dear Watson!  Very astute observation, my friend (I thought about saying "boy" here, and then "girl" ... my androgynous desires won out with "friend").  This is where you will hear the phrase drip feed.  Think of it just as it sounds.  You don't want to dump a butt load of information on the reader all at once like a dense chunk of Leftover casserole (now that's not casserole that was left over from dinner last night.  I mean Leftover Casserole, as in that dish that Mom makes every Friday that includes all the leftovers from the week before).  Rather, give the reader (through context and well planned dialogue) small, delicious, nutrient-packed crumbs as you go along.  This will help add drama to your narratives, and create the page-turning desire you want your reader to have with your work.

Take a look at the example of John and his wife.  I could have said, "John's wife was leaving him because John was stubborn and violent.  After several beatings she was sick of the abuse."  Even though it's one line, there's a lot of information that can be shown to the reader rather than explained, especially if the story's focal point is why she left her husband. In the showing example, information is slowly given to the reader through context and dialogue.  The reader can get that Helen is leaving John, that John is angry about it, and that John is (in Helen's opinion) stubborn.  A clever reader (and they always are) will get that John is violent (i.e. banging the table).  Nothing should be said in your story that isn't important (is this a rule?), and if it's worth mentioning, then it's worth showing (holy Moses!  More rules!  What have I become?!)

Finally, telling your reader what's happening, or has happened in the story, is basically calling them dumb.  You unknowingly believe that the reader will not be able to draw the connections together on their own, and so you must tell them up front.  This is a lie of the adversary, the devil, to get you to write crappy stories!  Alright, the devil might not be responsible for your misstep here, but then again ... maybe (shifty eyes).

This "rule" happens to be one that I think will really elevate your work.  Maybe you're not like me, and you figured this one out pretty early.  If so, then good for you.  We're proud of you!  But for the rest of us, this is going to be something we'll have to really work hard to remember.  And you probably won't catch it the first time through.  This is one of those things you'll catch in the dreaded editing stage of your novel (good luck with that).

So what do you think?  Is this a "rule" of writing good narrative, or are there instances where spoon feeding your reader is exactly what you need to do?  Let us know in the comments below.  If you've found this information useful, like it, love it, share it, and share some more!  Don't forget to follow and subscribe!

Write It Where You Are

Wandering off into the world to write you heart out takes a lot of moxie ( I love that word), finesse, and plain old determination.  In my last post I spoke about the heart of adventure writing being about the removal of thyself from your local writing haunt, and gaining inspiration from your environment while you work.  I have found this process to be very helpful while creating my narratives in a few different ways:

1.  Setting 

Writing scenes are easier if you are in the scenery (or a similar setting) that you are writing about.  Think about it; how many times have you been scratching the old skull-noggin, trying to figure out what realistic, mundane detail could give your work a tinge of reality.  I personally love to have my characters pick their nose; a simple, gross thing really, but let's face it...there are two kinds of people in the world: those that pick their nose, and those that lie about it.  A similar setting will work too.  If you are writing about an ancient bazaar from a more antiquated time, go to your local flea-market and see how people haggle and interact with one another.

2.  Over the Wall  

Silence, peace, and distraction free...the forceful way.  Sometimes when I need to write,  I really don't want to.  Sometimes writing is way more of a job than a career (jobs suck, careers are fun).  I found that packing up my stuff and hitting the back country put me in an environment where I had nothing else to do but write.  It got me through some tough, dry spots and helped me push through.  I'm not saying the writing is always going to be without it's flaws, mind you, but I am saying that you can force yourself into keeping the pages rolling.

3.  Inspiration   

Sometimes you need to get out of the house and away from things that are familiar to get some inspiration.  It's important to recharge your creativity tank, and the way I've found to do that is to go somewhere beautiful that is quiet where I can think.  I've sat on top of lonely mountain peaks overlooking rolling hills and valleys while conversing (like a crazy man) with my main character about why he would do the things he does.  Sometimes I think about the big picture, or shout out my frustration to a godless sky.  But I always come away with some kind of fruit for my works, even if it does mean a major rewrite (why!?  Why can't it ever be good enough!).

THE CAMPER, THE HAT, AND THE BABY 'SQUATCH

One of my first adventures ended quicker than I originally planned.  I was having a really hard time concentrating at the house, and I kept finding other, more interesting things to do (I sat on a couch mouthing the word "bored" over and over again for days).  I had been planning the trip for a few months, researched the crap out of the gear I needed, finally figured out how to solve the all important power supply issues, and gathered up three day's worth of freeze-dried foods (food is important.  I like food.  Food doesn't like me.  I've also been bitten by the diabetes bug.  I need food).  

I kissed my wife good bye, told my seven children "toodles" and then dashed out the door.  I got in my 1988 Ford F150 rust bucket, floored it up into the mountains, and hiked my happy butt deep into the wilderness.  It was early in the morning, and early spring, too.  The weather had been in the 70's for the past two weeks, and I swear...I...swear...the weather was supposed to be sunny, warm, and only in the 60's at night.  That was probably true where I lived in the valley, but it was NOT true in the high places!

So there I was, the air quite chilly, ready for my own personal adventure.  I hiked all morning out to where I wanted to be for three days, enjoyed the solitude for a moment or two, and then hung my hammock.  The first problem I encountered was the amount of people that happened to frequent that part of the trail.  I was not the only person who thought the area was pretty, apparently.  I forgive the passersby, even though one guy stayed and chatted it up for an hour and a half.  After I got my camp all gussied, I hopped in my warm hammock nest with my trusty laptop in hand, and began pounding away at the keys.

All was well.  The sun was warm during the day, even if the air was a little chilly.  That was okay, you know?  I enjoyed my quiet time, and got pretty far in a chapter.  Soon the sun began to dip below the Western ridge line, and the dreaded shadow of on coming night was upon me.  I'm sure you're thinking I kept working, feverishly engulfed in my own, twisted genius spilling out onto the digitized page...I did not.  Nighttime meant sasquatches, bears, and balrog, not of which I was prepared to battle.

I took my nightly regimen of pills, and decided that, while the twilight still held, I would go ahead and knock myself out with my sleeping pill (which never, EVER kicked in).  The night came, and from the seasonal pond near the camp came the familiar chirping of the crickets and the grumbling calls of the tree frogs.  I thought to myself, "as long as the critters still call, nothing big is coming through.  I'll be fine."  

Silence. 

 Holy terror of satan himself.  There wasn't so much as a cricket's fart, it became so still.  I reached out in my pack (only a foot away from me), grabbed my can of bear spray along with a little bar-shaped flashlight.  I held it tight the whole night, too.  I kept imagining some hairy foot sticking out from underneath my tarp shelter, the angry  face of Harry  from "Harry and the Hendersons" staring down at me.  If not sasquatch then a bear, perhaps, come to paw at the big, greasy meat sack that I was, hanging from a tree like a bagged lunch.  Then there was the balrog, ready to drag me to hell.  You see, during the day you might hear the rustling of the leaves in the woods and your mind  says, "oh!  That's a cute little fury squirrel!"  At night though, everything is bigger.  The same sound then produces, "Oh Mother of God!  Sasquatch, yetis, devils and giants!"  Needless to say, I didn't sleep much, though I do remember passing out for about an hour or so.

The worst part was waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of chewing.  God awful, mouthfuls of flesh being savagely torn asunder.  It was my worst nightmare.  I new it was a bear (sasquatch) eating out of my pack.  Being the careless camper I was, I kept my food right by me too...not a foot away.  I grasped on tight to my flashlight and bear (sasquatch) spray, and tried to gain the courage it would take to move and vanquish my worthy foe.  Believe it or not I did...I did!  I had the courage!  I peeled back my nest quickly, pointed the light and...

Blinded myself.  

The freaking flashlight was pointed right at me.  By the time I turned it around and adjusted my eyes to the now pitch black darkness, whatever was there was gone.  I calmed myself by assuming it was just the hammock bouncing up against the pack, and that no little creature (sasquatch) was munching in my pack.  It was, after all, sealed up nice and tight.  But the sound of chewing continued.  I had convinced myself enough and ignored the sound, which went on most of the night.  

By the time the grey of morning came,  I was very tired...tired and really, really needing to use the bathroom (defending oneself from sasquatches all night may cause you to be too scared to go pee-pee).    So I sluggishly got out of my hammock and started to head back into the bush.  I didn't have my glasses on.  Why didn't I have my glasses on?!  If only I had my glasses on, I could have positively identified the  baby 'squatch (raccoon or opossum) that scurried away from my area.  I went and did my thing, watched the sun come up over the mountains, and then packed up and left (I check out of hotel Scare-the-%#*@-out-of-you two days early).  One of the last things I did was put on my Boston Red Sox ball cap.

You know what I did with that hat the year before?  Swam in the ocean with it.  It was as salty as the sea, and probably more so from my own sweat, too.  When I got home and took a nice, long, hot shower, I got dressed and reached for my hat.  It was then that I noticed a small, chewed through hole in the band of it!  Whatever the creature, it must have been after the salt in my hat, and had hung out with me the whole night to get some.

You want to know what I learned?  Solo camping in the middle of nowhere is terrifying!  But it gave me an experience I'll never forget. Not to mention, it gave me a way to jump start my creativity and really open my world up to new possibilities.  

Have you ever had an experience like that?  If so, tell us about it in the comments below.  Please remember to share this stuff and pass along my chicken-nuggety bits of writing awesomeness to your friends!