A Quick Tip for Writing Dialogue! #writer #writing #author #authortube #books

Here's a really nerdy dialogue tip for you. For most dialogue, he said and she asked, they're perfect. Stick with those. However, if you need to get more specific than that, it's usually better to put it before the dialogue actually happens. Here's why. You have to remember that readers process your words in real time, in the exact order that you put them on the page. If you write the line of dialogue and then add she whispered, The reader first experienced the dialogue at normal volume, and then after seeing your dialogue tag has to go back in time and rebuild how they read that dialogue from normal volume to a whisper. So instead, write something like, she leaned in and said in a low voice, and then put the dialogue. Now the reader experiences it correctly the first time in the correct order. This goes for actions too. Show the reader how the character is about to speak so they picture it correctly when they read it.