Writing Forum

Tobber...

[Getting the amount of dialogue tags right is quite a challenge,]

In the nearly 200K words I've written, there is NOT ONE Tag-Line.

My reader will know who is 'about' to speak, who they are speaking to, and most times, how they sound, before reading the words.

Tony slammed a fist on the desk and shouted, "...
Sue leaned close to his ear and whispered, "....

Here is a Gem from Ken Follett's 'On Wings of Eagles'.

Ross Perot called Henry Kissinger. "Mister Kissinger, this is Ross Perot. Some of my people are being held hostage in Iran. Could the State Department give me some help?" Ross Perot asked Henry Kissinger.

I got the impression that Ross was asking Henry a question... but I could have been wrong... glad that Tag Line was there to guide my thoughts.

just bob