Dialogue Tips That Actually Work:

Dialogue tips that actually work:

You are not writing a movie (ignore this if you are). The reader doesn't need to know every word the characters say for the duration of the story. Less is more.

Dialogue can happen within the prose. "And they awkwardky discussed the weather for five minutes" is way better than actually writing five pages of dialogue about the weather.

Balance your dialogues. Surprise yourself with a monosyllabic answe to a dialogue that's ten sentences long. Don't be afraid of letting your character use half a page for a reply or nothing at all!

Don't write accents phonetically, use slang and colloquialisms if needed.

Comma before "said" and no caps after "!?" unless it's an action tag. Study dialogue punctuation.

Learn the difference between action tags and dialogue tags. Then, use them interchangeably (or none at all).

Don't be afraid to use said. Use said if characters are just saying things, use another word if not. Simple. There's no need to use fancy synonyms unless absolutely necessary.

Not everyone talks the same way so it makes sense for your characters to use certain words more often than others. Think of someone who says "like" to start every sentence or someone who talks really slow. Be creative.

Use prose to slow down the pace during a conversation.

Skip prose to speed up the pace during a conversation.

Gravity Falls Fic: The Transdimensional Exchange

Haven't been using Tumblr much lately, but just wanted to say that I'm writing a Stan & Ford-focused eldritch zombie apocalypse AU fic if anyone's interested in that particular vibe. Currently sitting at 6 chapters.

Summary: In 1982, a mysterious, otherworldly virus tore the country apart and turned people into mindless monsters. Four years later, in the wreckage left behind, Stanley Pines heads to Gravity Falls, Oregon to find out what happened to his brother. Miraculously, Ford is still alive, living alone in the town that started it all, and he's developed a cure; he just needs Stan's help getting it across the country. But old wounds keep surfacing, and Ford seems to be keeping secrets. He just might know more about the outbreak than he admits. The zombie apocalypse is no place to hold a grudge. If Stan and Ford can't learn to work together, they'll never manage to survive. Relationships: Ford Pines & Stan Pines, Sherman Pines & Stan Pines, Fiddleford McGucket & Ford Pines, Bill Cipher & Ford Pines Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Zombie Apocalypse, Eldritch zombies, hurt/comfort, nothing like an apocalyptic roadtrip to force you to talk things out, body horror (Read Here)

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cymbals-kid

6 months ago

“Made ya look!”

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cymbals-kid

2 months ago

I've made 8 (now 9) original posts tonight this'll be the only time in a long time I post more than once or twice a month

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cymbals-kid

10 months ago

Ted was supposed to be watching his little brother but he didn't feel like it so he called Paul

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they were both just gonna wait out the other's death then they turned 120 and are like you got smth to tell me??

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cymbals-kid

5 months ago

Was at the paper store because my sister wanted a jelly cat and in line to buy the thing I was singing my sister my dance song because I wasn't sure if she'd know the song by name (it was honey honey from mamma mia- our parents aren't fans so I've only seen it once and I'm not sure she's seen it at all) and the cashier looked up and asked if I was a singer because "sounds like it" and I'll be riding that high for the next week thank you random cashier🙏

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