Fiction Editing Tip: Dialogue

bucketsiler:

If dialogue is accompanied by a gesture performed by the speaker, you do not always need to include “he said” or “she said.” As long as you paragraph your dialogue correctly, it may be obvious from the context.

BEFORE:

Julie looked at her plate in disgust. “I hate broccoli,” she said.
“What’s wrong with broccoli?” Lisa asked. 

EDITED:

Julie looked at her plate in disgust. “I hate broccoli,” she said.
“What’s wrong with broccoli?” Lisa asked. 

AFTER:

Julie looked at her plate in disgust. “I hate broccoli.”
“What’s wrong with broccoli?” Lisa asked.

EXERCISE:

Go through a page of dialogue in your WIP and see how many “he said” or “she said”s you can remove. You’d be surprised how often they’re unnecessary!

Follow me for more writing tips and other literary nonsense. @bucketsiler