Awhile ago (at least a year and a half) I read that the word "said" was outdated and no longer used in writing. So, I went through my manuscript (however long it was) and replaced that word with action ("beats") and some horrific tags like "..." He grimaced.
So, this week I read in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King....that the word "said" is the best thing to use (to clarify who is speaking as needed). Some beats are good. However tags such as "He grimaced." are the worst thing and the sign of a novice. (Disclaimer: It will not be their fault if my book is bad)
Makes sense, but "Ugh!" So, gonna have to look at that dialogue again...
(2nd Disclaimer: This post has not been edited)
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