Writing Tips

Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

More Posts from Quandrixing and Others

6 months ago

“my bonnie lies over the ocean, my bonnie lies over the sea,”

are we talking about the same body of water here, which is weird, or different bodies of water, which is even weirder

4 months ago

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!

Tumblr's added some ruidimentary search operators, one of which lets you search by blog, and it actually turns up posts, unlike the search bar on a blog itself. It recognises quotation marks now, too.

You just have to make sure you're searching on the actual "search" page, it still tries to take me to the "tagged" page and I have to manually change the URL.

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!

BUT, you can actually find a post on someone's blog now. Just don't start from the blog you want to search

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!
6 months ago

PATTERN BANNERS | galaxy.

PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.
PATTERN BANNERS | Galaxy.

okey, I love this set so much, I’m so happy with it. I love all things space and stars and galaxy related. I have many colour sets coming so keep an eye out for those ! i really like what i did here ahahahah. 🤍🤍🤍

colours : 001 / 002 / 003 / 004 / 005 / 006 / 007 / 008 / 009

feel free to use; please like, reblog, and credit 〜

support me through ko-fi | more dividers →

5 months ago

If you enjoy reading, are there any books on your reading list that you would like to read but haven’t gotten to just yet? Any recommendations from ones you’ve read?

I'm actually reading books on writing right now! FIGHT WRITE: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes by Carla Hoch

I really want to learn how to write action scenes, since there are some future chapters and one-offs I would like to have realistic fighting in it.

I used to do a lot of action writing in my early days -- when I was participating in a BLEACH RPG on forums and LJ, but it's been a long ass time. I'd love to create tension through motion-- and be able to actually help @thedissonantverses for the story we're cooking up. Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan Just to help me write more descriptively. I don't wanna be someone who uses purple prose for everything, but I could think a little harder about what the world reminds me of. Even the simplest actions have a rich story behind it. I'd like to know how to bring that out.

How To Write Erotica by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Because...reasons 👀 I don't want that cottage to be quiet forever.

--

As far as books on the list, the main one is 'How We Heal' by Prentiss Hemphill!


Tags
4 months ago
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)
The X-Files Rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)

The X-Files rewatch >> The Field Where I Died (4.5)


Tags
4 months ago

Emergency cleaning: Unfuck your whole house in the shortest time possible

So, your landlord/parents/home inspector/favorite movie star is dropping by, and your place is a disaster. You don’t have much time to clean it up. You’re in emergency mode. Let’s get started.

Don’t panic. Panic leads to fear, fear leads to procrastination, procrastination leads to the dark side. You can do this, but you have to stay calm.

Unlike maintenance cleaning, we’re not looking to completely unfuck one space at a time. Instead, we want to decrease the overall mess in stages, spread evenly across the whole area that we’re concerned about. If you think your home is at Level 10 filth, we want to bring the whole thing down to a Level 9, and then down from there. One really clean spot in an otherwise messy home is not going to be helpful here.

Get prepared. You’ll want to shut the computer down (or turn the modem off if you need your computer to play music). Trust me. Get your music going. Gather up trash bags, your vacuum and mop, some rags or paper towel, sponges, and other cleaning supplies. Use what you have on hand. Don’t get distracted running to the store and spending an hour browsing cleaning supplies. A multi-purpose cleaning concentrate or a jug of vinegar will be just fine.

Breaks are very important. Depending on your time constraints, work in 20/10s (20 minutes working, 10-minute break) or 45/15s. But take breaks because otherwise you’re marathoning, and marathon cleaning is no one’s friend. Keep hydrated, don’t forget to eat, and check in with yourself frequently to make sure you’re physically doing OK.

Make your bed. This will be your home base if you get overwhelmed or need somewhere clear to take a break.

Start with the garbage. Going from room to room, throw out anything that is obvious trash. Once you fill a bag, take it out. Repeat as many times as necessary.

Move on to dishes. Gather the dishes from all over your house and bring them to the kitchen. If you can, start them soaking in a sink of hot, soapy water or start loading the dishwasher. After the dishes are all in one place, spend one 20/10 getting started getting them under control.

Now it’s time for your flat surfaces. Countertops, tables, dresser tops, etc. Clear them off and wipe them down. Don’t get distracted in too much sorting and organizing. We’re in crisis mode here. There will be time to get in-depth once this is all done. The same applies to cabinets and closets. Unless you have reason to believe people will be opening closed doors, leave these alone for now.

Attack the floordrobe and shoe pile. Get your clothes either put away or in the hamper. Start a load of laundry if you need to, but keep in mind that laundry and dishes have three steps: wash, dry, and put it away, goddammit!

Get random stuff up off the floors. If something is trash-worthy, throw it away now rather than just move it around a bunch of times. Otherwise, put stuff where it belongs.

Take another 20/10 or 45/15 to catch up on more dishes, if needed.

Head into the bathroom. Pour some cleaner in the toilet bowl, fill the sink with hot water and cleaner, and either spray the tub and shower with cleaner, or fill the tub up with some hot water and add cleaner and let it soak. Put everything away that’s out and shouldn’t be, clean the mirror, counters, and toilet seat. Sweep or dry mop the floor. Wipe down the sink and tub/shower, and give the toilet bowl a scrub. Mop the floor.

Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.

Vacuum everything you can, and sweep everything you can’t.

Walk outside of your house (don’t lock yourself out, please). Walk back in and see what catches your eye first. Go and deal with that.

If you’re being inspected or your landlord is coming in for repairs, spend time on whatever area they’ll be focusing on.

Give the whole place one more once-over and pay attention to anything you’ve missed so far.

It’s an old trick, but if your place is a little funky-smelling, put a pan of water on the stove on low heat and add some citrus or cinnamon or vanilla. Don’t leave it unattended or forget about it.

Take a shower, put on something clean, and eat something.

You can do this. It’s overwhelming, yes, but it is not impossible. You just need to do it. You have a list. You have directions. You have a whole bunch of Internet strangers who have been there before and who are cheering you on. You can do this, but you need to get started.

Why are you still here? GO. START. NOW.

2 months ago
I Made These As A Way To Compile All The Geographical Vocabulary That I Thought Was Useful And Interesting
I Made These As A Way To Compile All The Geographical Vocabulary That I Thought Was Useful And Interesting
I Made These As A Way To Compile All The Geographical Vocabulary That I Thought Was Useful And Interesting
I Made These As A Way To Compile All The Geographical Vocabulary That I Thought Was Useful And Interesting
I Made These As A Way To Compile All The Geographical Vocabulary That I Thought Was Useful And Interesting

I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!

(save the images to zoom in on the pics)


Tags
8 months ago

Does anybody have that image of what cyberpunk dialogue is like. "to crack a cyber lemon this nasty" or whatever

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Quandrixing

Just things I find interesting that don't belong in my main.

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