Said is Not Dead: The Case Against Fancy Dialogue Tags
“I love you,” she gasped. “Really?” he queried. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “But-” he stammered. “No buts,” she interjected. Stop. This is bad writing. And it’s bad for a very specific reason: the dialogue tags are working too hard. The golden rule: “Said” is invisible. Everything else calls attention to itself. And in 95% of cases, you don’t want readers noticing your dialogue tags-you want them immersed in the conversation. What Are Dialogue Tags? Dialogue tags (also called “attributions”) identify who’s speaking: ...