Creative Writing: Standard Dialogue Format

Class Work
Name ______________________________

Date ______________

1. Using Quotation Marks

In North America the rule is to use double quotation marks around the words of the speaker; this
seems simple enough but the most common problem lies in the placement of punctuation other
than quotation marks.
a. The standard rule is to include periods and commas within the quotation marks, and use a
comma to set off dialogue tags like she said.
She said, "I dont believe you."
"I dont believe you," she said, "and I no longer trust you."
Practice writing a line of dialogue following this rule:
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b. Exclamation points and question marks also go inside the quotation marks, but then you
dont need an additional comma for the dialogue tag.
Why dont you ever call me back? he asked.
Practice writing a line of dialogue following this rule:
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c. Note that dialogue tags (she said, he replied) must be a "speaking action," whereas nonspeaking actions (he snorted, she glared) are not punctuated as tags and should be
treated as separate sentences.
"I dont believe you are telling the truth." She glared at him.
"Fine, dont believe me." He snorted with disgust.
Practice writing a line of dialogue following this rule:
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d. Use single quotation marks to mark dialogue within dialogue:

"And then I looked at him and said, I dont believe you!" she said.
"And then I looked at him and said, I dont believe you! and he walked away."
Practice writing a line of dialogue following this rule:
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2. Formatting
Another general rule is to start a new paragraph for each new speaker. It makes for a clearer
picture of the give-and-take of a "conversation" and helps the reader switch from speaker to
speaker.
So why didnt you text me once you got there? he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the
other.
She looked at him blankly. I did. You didnt get my text?
Practice writing a short dialogue between two people following this rule:
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3. Using Dialogue Tags

Some people tend to always use dialogue tags at the end of every line of dialogue. This gets
boring after a while. Try varying the use of the speech tags by placing them in different parts of
the sentence.
a. Some sentences can start off with a speech tag
She said, I dont believe you.
b. while still others can break in the middle with a speech tag.
I dont believe you, she said, but thats not unusual.
c. You could leave out the dialogue tag altogether if youve given enough information for the
line of dialogue to stand on its own.
Before walking out the door, she turned towards him. I could say I wish Id never met you, but
that would be a lie.
Write a short dialogue, using speech tags in the three ways listed above:
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d. We often worry that were overusing the word said in dialogue tags, so we make two
mistakes:

Adding adverbs (Ex.: He said angrily). Instead, use the dialogue itself to convey the
feeling.

Looking for synonyms to replace each said (Ex. He shouted, she stuttered, he
exclaimed). Again, let the dialogue itself do the work of communicating, and dont
worry about having too many saids. Sometimes, the most simple and
straightforward word is the best one.