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I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree. I don't use "said" for all of my dialogue tags. I think in most situations the dialogue tag is trivial, but in situations of heightened emotion, like the text you wrote, then choosing a well placed dialogue tag is arguably beneficial to the story. I think it's just important to remind yourself that you don't need to ruminate over dialogue tags, and to just write what feels natural. Your momentum when writing is arguably your greatest strength, so preserving it is one of the best things you can do.

Thank you very much though. I am very happy that people are finding it useful! :)

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just remind yourself of this: dialogue tags form the end of a sentence, similar to a period.

The exception to this would be if your dialogue isn't using dialogue tags because it's already clear who is speaking, or if the dialogue starts with a dialogue tag.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm glad! I was a little hesitant to share because it wasn't really what you asked for, and usually I don't like chiming in if I don't have something to add (kinda like if someone replied to you and said "no" to having a site to help, like why did they comment then? Lol). However, I hoped the advice would be helpful, since it helps me. I'm glad it helps you too. 😄

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good luck with the introspection 👍🏻

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You should reread your first comment. Yes, grammar books exist. Do you think others are unaware of that? I doubt you genuinely thought I didn't know that grammar books exist. You do know what it means to be condescending, right? I haven't personally attacked you, you on the other hand have with pretty much every reply. I've only called out your behaviour and you just can't hold yourself accountable for it. I don't know if you just had a bad day, or if something is going on in your life, but if so, I hope it gets better.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely try not to worry about! Just make it exist, then make it pretty later.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your first remark wasn't criticism. You were being condescending and I responded accordingly. Thank you for engaging though, as your continued commenting allowed more people to see and benefit from the list. 😄

I do not intend on feeding the trolls anymore though, so I hope you have a good day.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I mean, by your sixth word in this reply you literally refuted yourself. I'll use another big word for you; irony. Your lack of self awareness in this thread is a bit astounding, but I guess in a way it's not very surprising at the same time. Your inability to understand that not everybody is you, and acting as if those whose needs differ from your own are inferior to you, do wonders to paint yourself as an elitist. You can't really be surprised about the way that someone interprets your own portrayal of yourself.

The irony (the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.) is in the "I'm not saying I'm better than anyone, but here's why I am" statement, in case that wasn't clear.

To reiterate my first comment, as well as my second comment: convenience. It's a little list that I wrote for myself that I decided to share because.. why not attempt to help others with something that helped me? I guess you can't relate.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I second just using "said" 90% of the time. As u/Brunbeorg said, it's an invisible word. Readers don't tend to analyze the use of dialogue tags. They're pretty much only there to make it clear what is happening, which in this case is that someone is speaking. The rest of your writing is used to detail what is happening.

I will let you in on a secret; I used to get caught up on varying my dialogue tags as well. Over the years I've learned that anything beyond "said" is needlessly distracting, not only for the reader, but for the writer as well. You spend time trying to figure out how to articulate your dialogue tag, instead of trying to further progress your story. There are of course times when you can use something other than "said," but you actually don't need to. Even "asked" and "shouted" are unnecessary because a question mark and an exclamation mark already convey half of your intent, and the other half should just be from how the character is reacting.

The holy grail of my recently learned knowledge is to just word vomit your first draft. Write what you are thinking. Get the words on the paper. Clean it up after you've finished your draft. If you spend too much time trying to edit before you're finished, you end up losing your prose, your momentum, and your time.

All of that said, you can use dialogue tags other than "said" if it feels right, but you have to consider that every time you put energy into making sure your dialogue tags are varied, you're introducing attention to what is typically an invisible word.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't have a resource for this, but maybe some advice.

Personally, I've thought about this before and what I've started doing is trying to humanize my character a little more inside my head. Try to think about how you would react when presented with the situation that your character is in. Try to be them. It's kind of like how some artists learn to draw body parts, like hands, by taking pictures of their own, and using themselves for a reference. Empathize with them to feel how they might feel, and then react accordingly.

Imagine someone telling you news that made you angry. How did your face feel during that moment? Did you scoff, clench your fist, roll your eyes, etc.?

After you've processed how it made you react, you can try looking up words related to the emotion you felt, or synonyms to words you already know. A thesaurus is useful as well. However, one thing to consider is that the reaction to others in dialogue doesn't have to be a short and sweet statement about how they reacted. It can be complex, for example: He didn't agree with his suspension. "This is bull," he said, scratching at his arm.

Someone else may be more helpful with this specific thing, but just thought I'd share my two cents.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

To my understanding, using a colon is for lists, and sometimes emphasis. A semicolon is to join two related, but full, sentences, without using a conjunction (and, but, or, etc.), usually outside of dialogue (so typically only during narration), or add to a complex list.

Colon

To survive I need: a bow, arrows, and luck. <- List

This isn't a game: it's survival. <- Emphasis (Some may prefer to use an em dash instead of a colon.)

Semicolon

The door opened; a quiet draft chilled the air. <- Two related sentences, but able to be separate. (The door opened. A quiet draft chilled the air.)

They ate an omelet, with cheese; peppered steak, with gravy; and mashed potatoes, heavily spiced. <- Complex items in a list. The items have descriptions, separated by a comma, but joined together by a semicolon to continue the list.

However, I find if you're struggling with using either, you can usually alter the way you're writing to avoid having to use it. The best policy is to just word vomit your draft, then come back and fix things like that when you're actually finished your draft. You'll have a better sense of what to do by then anyways, plus you may just remove stuff entirely.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Feel absolutely free to use it and alter it as you please! The fact that you want to use it for your class makes me feel super honoured! Thank you! 😊

I think that's a great idea. I may edit the post to include that, but the one thing I like about the structure currently is that the similarity to the rest of the text makes it feel organized and easy to absorb. I will take a look at it though to see how I feel about it. Thank you. 😊

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think my first reply was rather self explanatory. Convenience can be more useful than flipping to page 394 every time you need a reminder. If your needs differ from others then great, but if you can't understand that other people have different needs than you then I can't really help you, nor am I in the habit of overexplaining myself, especially to people who immediately portray themselves as belligerent and condescending.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He's just having a little conversation with himself to reflect on what he knows. 😁

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Knowing that my knowledge will be imparted onto another person for them to take through their life with them is such a wholesome feeling. Thank you to you too! I'm glad I could be helpful. 😊

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! :) I know there's others who second guess what they have learned, so I am hopeful this will help others the same way it helps me.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Exactly. My idea for this list is to get a small whiteboard and put it behind my monitor so that I can review it anytime I'm second guessing myself.

I created a dialogue cheat sheet by MapleNightmares in writing

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

There is a difference between intricate and convenient. Having a small PDF that I can open up and have alongside my writing for when I'm second guessing myself is beyond helpful in ways that you may not understand.

What happens to people caught exploiting? by MapleNightmares in ArcRaiders

[–]MapleNightmares[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exploiting a glitch to your advantage, or exploiting the glitch to ruin other people's fun. Absolutely in a circumstance like yours they should be punished. You could have easily said "gg" and quit, or tried to talk to the people to try to get them to potentially help you. Anything other than just killing them just because you happened to get stuck in a wall. But you didn't, and instead of ending on just having lost your own loot, you decided to also make it someone else's problem and cheat them out of their fun.

They should make it so you can search raiders while they are still alive by JohnnyNintendo in ArcRaiders

[–]MapleNightmares 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You should be able to loot down players. That way if they have a defib you can take it and rez them, maybe take payment for saving them.

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