Tips For Writing On Wattpad

Nitty Gritty: Dialogue

Nitty Gritty: Dialogue

Meet Dialogue. Aka, conversation, speech, talking, or whatever else you may wish to call it.

I don't think I have ever read a story where none of the characters spoke, so here we go!

Basic dialogue rules
Speech must be in quotation marks. These things – " ".

You can connect speech to a person, which is helpful to let the reader know who is speaking, although it isn't always strictly necessary. There are several ways to connect dialogue to the character speaking. If you tie the dialogue to actions, you can also show the scene and emotions as well.

Remember: Only ever have one speaker per paragraph – even if it is just a few words.

*Advanced detail*
I'll try to stick to the basics, but I have to add this somewhere – so let's get it out of the way before it comes back to pester me.

Action tags and dialogue tags: Action tags use periods whereas dialogue tags use commas.

Action tags are action – She sat down, he raised his eyebrow, etc. Even more complicated ones such as he laughed (laughing is an action, you can't really laugh a word...)

Dialogue tags are indicating that someone is talking – he said, she asked, he exclaimed, she gushed, etc.

This tip is more for advanced writers, perfectionists, or those looking to potentially publish their work. The average novice writer doesn't really need to worry about it (so feel free to use commas or periods as you like). You will see the proper punctuation in all of my examples though, so please don't let it confuse you.

Said is a fine word, and often invisible, which helps the flow of a story. If you are looking for other words to use instead, this is one of my favorite websites (skip to the bottom, then choose the print option for a nicer layout): www.spwickstrom.com/said/

Examples of dialogue: *cough* Action tag *cough*

(This is where dialogue has periods. Commas and dialogue tags are discussed farther down)

Example one: Nicky eyed up the coffee pot. "That looks pretty good."
Example two: "That looks pretty good." Nicky eyed up the coffee pot.
Example three: "That looks pretty good." Nicky eyed up the coffee pot. "I think I will have a cup or two..."
Example four: Nicky wandered over to the coffee pot and eyed it up. "That looks pretty good."

Note: The dialogue and the tag can be rearranged in almost any fashion. Just try to keep it clear on who is speaking, especially in really long paragraphs.

Examples of dialogue: *cough* Dialogue tag *cough*

(This is where dialogue has commas)

Nicky asked, "Can I have some? Pretty please?"
"Not a chance!" Ben retorted. "Hey! Give that back!" [Note: because of the exclamation mark, no comma is needed. However, had it not been Ben's name there, the word would be lower case – see below.]
"Nope," she said. "It's mine now!"
Trinity grumbled, "Nicky put the coffee down. Now."
Nicky pleaded, "Please! Just one taste!"
"No," Trinity said.

You can even mix them up if you want both actions and clear speech.

Here are some more examples:
Trinity growled faintly before reprimanding Nicky, "Enough of that. You know the rules. No coffee for you."
"Aw," Nicky groaned, slumping to the ground in defeat.
Ben swiftly grabbed the big cup of coffee before heading back to the kitchen. As he passed by, he muttered, "I will go hide this elsewhere."
"Get someone to drink it," Trinity replied, keeping an eye on the far-too quiet Nicky.
"Alright." He glanced back. "You keep an eye on her."
With a snort, Trinity replied, "I am not a babysitter."
"At least keep her from following me for two minutes," he said just before disappearing through a doorway.