Writer's Cramps

"Using Speaker Attributions Correctly"

by L. S. King

Proper attributions help the reader see and hear how a person is speaking. A few proper attributions can enhance dialogue. Here's a simple example.

"Don't tell Mama," she whispered.

The biggest confusion about speaker attribs is that there is so much disagreement on what is, and isn't, a proper attribution. Some are clear. Like whisper. Or hiss. They are descriptions of ways we can talk. Often a beat or other description can do a better job than these attribs, but they are legitimate. I would, however, suggest using these attribs only when truly needed.

But some are not so clear. I like snarl. 'He snarled' is a wonderful attrib. Yet I know both writers and editors who don't consider it appropriate. "A person can't snarl dialogue," they say. I beg to differ, using as a reference dictionary.com:

snarl
v. intr.
    2. To speak angrily or threateningly.

However, some are clearly inappropriate. Pouted for example. You can't pout dialogue. The word would be great in a beat, but not as an attrib. The same goes for smile, frown, etc.

A third way that attribs are incorrectly used is when they tell the reader something that, if the dialogue and scene are well-written, the reader will know anyway.

"You're right," she agreed.
"You're dead wrong," he argued.

This is condescending to readers - telling them what they already know. Some editors use an acronym to clue writers they are telling their readers something obvious. RUE - Resist the Urge to Explain. But we'll talk more about RUE next time.

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