Wattpad - Things that make you go... Urgh!

Dialogue Tags...

How many times can you read the word 'said' on one page before it becomes distracting? Five, maybe six times?

Well according to some Wattpad users there's no way you're book will ever get published if you attempt to use any other form of dialogue tag... Personally I wouldn't know, I've never attempted to get published. So, out of sheer curiosity I take a look at the number one book on the New York Times best sellers list. Dan Brown pops up at the top with Inferno. I flip open the prologue (a prologue, now there's another chapter), and on the second page I am met with:

"For the love of God," they shout, "tell us...". 

Reading on and in chapter one we have, 'he called out.' 

Hmmm, interesting...

Continuing on (I am only reading the first few pages) and I can't see a 'said' anywhere. So that clears that up. Yes, you can get published without using the word 'said'.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think 'said' is an extremely useful word and one that shouldn't be disregarded too quickly but when all you have are words on a screen, isn't it sometimes better to include a tag that adds to the ambience of the scene?

Apparently whisper, shout, roar, bark etcetera etcetera are off limits, but why? A user in one of the threads pointed out that cats purr, dogs bark, crocodiles snap and lions roar. This person does not have kids. Speak to any parent and I bet they'll admit to roaring at their offspring a few times. And after a particularly bad night's sleep I've been known to snap and bark! 

Sometimes a little extra is good, but be wary that you don't overdo it. There are times when no tags are necessary. 

To prove my point (yes, I do actually have one):

Exibit a)

Lucy stared at her mother with her mouth slack.

"I'm nothing like you."

"Oh, I beg to differ, even as a child you dressed in my clothes and stole my make up."

"Don't flatter yourself, I was only trying to make up for my absent parent."

"You ungrateful little parasite."

It's obvious (at least to me) who is talking so there's no need for he said, she said. However, let's try it again with a little extra:

Lucy stared at her mother with her mouth slack.

"I'm nothing like you." she spat vehemently.

"Oh, I beg to differ, even as a child you dressed in my clothes and stole my make up." 

"Don't flatter yourself, I was only trying to make up for my absent parent."

"You ungrateful little parasite." her mother sneered.

I, personally prefer the second version, the extra snippets of information helping to build the bigger picture, pulls me in to the story more. But guess what (oh, you're one step ahead of me aren't you?), yup it's all about subjectivity.

Despite what you will have seen said by various "experts" in the forums, there is no right or wrong answer. Go with your gut. If you think a 'said', is all it takes than slap it in there, if you want a whisper or a holler, scribble it down. Just be aware that sometimes less is more and repetition can be off putting, but other than that, your book, you decide on the tags...