Punctuating Dialogue Tags and Beats
/(Okay, so that might not be the sexiest title for a blog, but work with us here. Trust us, it’s important.)
We probably all learned how to properly punctuate dialogue tags in our creative writing classes, as early as elementary school. But, judging from the many manuscripts reviewed here at Inspira, many have clearly forgotten forgot how to do it (or were not taught correctly)! So, we think a little review is in order.
When writing dialogue, there are some specific punctuation rules that govern how we write about people talking. You can improve your first drafts exponentially by tapping back into your inner grade school self and remembering those early lessons in punctuation.
Let’s start with definitions:
Dialogue Tag: a speaker verb that tells readers which character is speaking.
For example: “she said.”
Action beat: something the character does
If a line of dialogue has a dialogue tag, use a comma (or exclamation / question mark).
“Let’s get ice cream,” she said.
“Should we get ice cream?” she asked.
“Ice cream!” she screamed.
Notice that the period does not come at the end of the dialogue, but at the end of the sentence.
Dialogue tags can also come in the middle of a sentence or between two sentences of dialogue. “Let’s get ice cream,” she said, “if that sounds good to you.”
“Let’s get ice cream,” she said. “I saw an ice cream truck up ahead.”
Action beats (what the speaker does) are always separated from the dialogue with a period. Action beats do not identify the dialogue speaker, but present an action.
“Let’s get ice cream.” She pointed to the ice cream truck.
Most of us learned in elementary school to use commas when writing dialogue, but that is not always correct! If the next few words identify the speaker or describe the speaking, use a comma. But if an action happens next, separate the dialogue with a period.
We hope this helps as you write. And, after all that dialogue about ice cream, we hope you are able to enjoy a sweet treat soon, too!