Using Dialogue Tags & Action Beats

Sometimes it’s the small things that can change a scene for the better. Dialogue tags and action beats are those tools a writer can use to make a scene more dynamic, or change the pace depending on what’s happening. In early drafts of HOST I had overused dialogue tags, thinking the reader would be lost (or maybe not even thinking about it because I didn’t know what I was doing then). Subsequent drafts I found a rhythm with dialogue tags that felt more natural, smoother, and made scenes readability much better. Mix in action beats to create some movement and scenes started to come to life. It was truly a light bulb moment in my writing journey. Tim and I get into it a bit more in out latest Writer Syndrome episode. Check it out!