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Punctuation in Dialogue
Dialogue has its own rules for punctuation. Commas go in particular places, as do terminal marks such as periods and question marks. Only what is spoken is within the quotation marks. Other parts of...
View ArticleDialogue—The Speech of Fiction
We all know what dialogue is. It’s those cheesy words from the mouths of sitcom characters, words that no one in real life would ever have the guts or bad manners to say, right? Or it’s those drawn-out...
View ArticleMore Punctuation in Dialogue—A Reader’s Questions
Terry, a reader of the The Editor’s Blog, has asked a couple of specific questions about dialogue. Let’s take a closer look at her questions and some possible solutions. (I’ve edited her questions for...
View ArticleDialogue—My Characters Talk Too Much
Looking for a topic for an article, I asked some writer friends what topics they’d enjoy. One mentioned dialogue; he wanted to know how a writer could know when there was too much dialogue in a story....
View ArticleBad Dialogue—Bad, Bad Dialogue
A few writers have come to The Editor’s Blog searching for examples of bad dialogue, so I thought it time to offer examples of character-speak you’ll want to steer away from in your fiction. Dialogue...
View ArticleInner Dialogue—Writing Character Thoughts
The topic of character thoughts has come up repeatedly for me in the last couple of weeks, and I promised to address punctuation for inner dialogue. Inner dialogue is simply the speech of a character...
View ArticleNarrative Modes in Fiction—Telling Your Story (Writing Essentials)
This article is part of Writing Essentials, in-depth coverage of the elements of fiction and writing basics. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’d intended this article on narrative modes to be quick and simple, maybe in...
View ArticleIs Your Storytelling Unbalanced?
There are multiple ways of presenting the story in written fiction; consider them the storytelling modes. We use these modes, these methods, to put the unfolding story on the page. Each mode has a...
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When a Comma Isn’t Enough
Have you ever wondered how to punctuate dialogue that’s interrupted by an action? If so, you’re in good company. Many have the same questions about punctuating interrupted dialogue. I’ve seen the topic...
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