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Mastering Dialogue in Fiction Writing

Dialogue refers to a verbal exchange between two or more characters in fiction. The word "said" is commonly used to identify who is speaking because it does not draw attention to itself like other verbs might. While other verbs such as "ask" or "shout" can be used, some character identifiers get in the way of the reader's experience. Stephen King recommends using "said" as the primary dialogue tag and cites Larry McMurtry's mastery of well-written dialogue. Substitutes for "said" are known as "said-bookisms" and should generally be avoided.

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47 views1 page

Mastering Dialogue in Fiction Writing

Dialogue refers to a verbal exchange between two or more characters in fiction. The word "said" is commonly used to identify who is speaking because it does not draw attention to itself like other verbs might. While other verbs such as "ask" or "shout" can be used, some character identifiers get in the way of the reader's experience. Stephen King recommends using "said" as the primary dialogue tag and cites Larry McMurtry's mastery of well-written dialogue. Substitutes for "said" are known as "said-bookisms" and should generally be avoided.

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hijaps123
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Dialogue, in fiction, is a verbal exchange between two or more characters.

If there is only one


character talking aloud, it is a monologue.

"This breakfast is making me sick," George said.

The George said is the identifier. Said is the verb most writers use because reader familiarity
with said prevents it from drawing attention to itself. Although other verbs such as ask, shout,
or reply are acceptable, some identifiers get in the reader's way. For example:

"Hello," he croaked nervously, "my name's Horace."


"What's yours?" he asked with as much aplomb as he could muster.[1] another example is:
"My name is Peg, what's yours?" I asked. "My name is William, but my friends call me Will,"
said Will.

Stephen King, in his book On Writing, expresses his belief that said is the best identifier to
use. King recommends reading a novel by Larry McMurtry, who he claims has mastered the
art of well-written dialogue.[2]

Substitutes are known as said-bookisms. For example, in the sentence "What do you mean?"
he smiled., the word smiled is a said-bookism.

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