Apparently a lot of people get dialogue punctuation wrong despite having an otherwise solid grasp of grammar, possibly because they’re used to writing essays rather than prose. I don’t wanna be the asshole who complains about writing errors and then doesn’t offer to help, so here are the basics summarized as simply as I could manage on my phone (“dialogue tag” just refers to phrases like “he said,” “she whispered,” “they asked”):
“For most dialogue, use a comma after the sentence and don’t capitalize the next word after the quotation mark,” she said.
“But what if you’re using a question mark rather than a period?” they asked.
“When using a dialogue tag, you never capitalize the word after the quotation mark unless it’s a proper noun!” she snapped.
“When breaking up a single sentence with a dialogue tag,” she said, “use commas.”
“This is a single sentence,” she said. “Now, this is a second stand-alone sentence, so there’s no comma after ‘she said.’”
“There’s no dialogue tag after this sentence, so end it with a period rather than a comma.” She frowned, suddenly concerned that the entire post was as unasked for as it was sanctimonious.
にじいろのものがたり by 邪仁寿(邪ニス)
Arguably one of the greatest art works I’ve ever seen. Check out the hi-res version in the link above, because Tumblr won’t let me post the full-size image in its original quality.
* Permission was granted by the artist to repost this work. I take absolutely no credit for this.
One Piece and Minecraft
...
HELL YES!
So I just found the most useful photo album in existence for tumblr arguments
Blind Dog Was Scared To Walk. So Owner Made This For Him
(via)
YES! I wanna join!
Now, maybe this is just my cold, INTP logic kicking in here, but am I the only one who thinks that the fashion today is to be a victim? Because it seems that everyone is out there looking for an excuse to be offended about something.
And no, I’m not intending to offend anyone. Please, please, please. I’m not trying to step on any toes. And if I’m not thinking exactly like you, I most humbly beg your pardon for, oh, I dunno, being a different person with different beliefs and a different background and a different favourite flavour of ice cream.
The point is, there are real victims in the world. There are people who are actually hurting. There are children who are abandoned in the street because their mothers don’t like how they look when they’re born. There are young women who are kidnapped and sold as sex slaves. There are people who are living with the threat of bombs falling on their heads every day.
And then there’s you. Maybe your one of those real victims. Or maybe you just don’t like what someone said to you.
Ya know what I’m getting at? If someone disagrees with you or says something that strikes you as wrong, immediately you have to lash out and rip into them and tell them that they’re a horrible bigot or a wretched sinner. Do you honestly think that that’s going to change their mind? And I’m not saying I’m always right. But I’m not always wrong, either.
I wonder if maybe all this oversensitivity on every side is occurring because people don’t have a sense of humour. (By sense of humour, I mean the ability to NOT take yourself seriously all the time.)
A while back my brother got mad at me for not taking life seriously all the time. Now, this isn’t quite true. I do take life seriously. But I most certainly try not to take myself seriously. That’s the most dangerous thing a person can do, because then he can get to thinking that he’s more important than he actually is. And when you start thinking that, then you think that everyone ought to recognize how important you are. You trade in personal dignity for annoying pompousness and personal kindness for condescension. You get offended easily because people are disagreeing with you, and HEAVEN FORBID that anyone should ever disagree with infallible you!
Perhaps we could all lighten up a bit. Just because someone doesn’t hold the same views that you do doesn’t mean that he’s out to get you and take away all your personal freedoms. Not every Muslim is an extremist and not every Christian is a hypocrite, for example. And just because you side with one or the other doesn’t mean you should get mad when someone who supports an opposite viewpoint expresses an opinion. Maybe if you don’t get offended, you’ll set a good example to others. Maybe if you laugh it off, rather than getting all huffy at what someone said. Maybe if you admit they have a point, and really mean it, you’ll make more of an impression than if you start lambasting them for being opposed to you.
The thing is, when we go around trying not to step on people’s toes, we’ll never give others the chance to think. If you’re never challenged you’ll never truly understand what you do believe in. You’ll never question, you’ll never grow, and you’ll never become stronger.
I suppose when we stop thinking ourselves the pinnacle and end result of the universe, we’ll start realizing that it’s okay to be different. And sometimes, it’s even okay to disagree with other people! I’m trying to break the trend of being a victim. I don’t want to have to avoid “trigger” subjects just because they aren’t topics that I like to converse on.
It’s good to talk about things that make you uncomfortable. You aren’t entitled to be comfortable. Comfortable people don’t grow and develop. Victims might be wounded, but heroes rise above their wounds.
Heroes forgive and forget.
So, I’ve decided that, while I’m not going to go out of my way to offend people, I’m also not going to shy away from stuff that I don’t like. And I’m not going to shy away from stuff just because other people don’t like it. I want to grow, even if it makes me uncomfortable.
Do you want to join me?
This birb! *sniff*
Comic N-009: “CHERISH THIS BIRD”
As much as I like those other guys we gotta pay tribute to the objectively best characters.
Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
We are always told to use body language in our writing. Sometimes, it’s easier said than written. I decided to create these cheat sheets to help you show a character’s state of mind. Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. For example, he may be shocked and angry, or shocked and happy. Use these combinations as needed.
by Amanda Patterson
I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.
IN RESPONSE TO Acknowledged Answered Protested
INPUT/JOIN CONVERSATION/ASK Added Implored Inquired Insisted Proposed Queried Questioned Recommended Testified
GUILTY/RELUCTANCE/SORRY Admitted Apologized Conceded Confessed Professed
FOR SOMEONE ELSE Advised Criticized Suggested
JUST CHECKING Affirmed Agreed Alleged Confirmed
LOUD Announced Chanted Crowed
LEWD/CUTE/SECRET SPY FEEL Appealed Disclosed Moaned
ANGRY FUCK OFF MATE WANNA FIGHT Argued Barked Challenged Cursed Fumed Growled Hissed Roared Swore
SMARTASS Articulated Asserted Assured Avowed Claimed Commanded Cross-examined Demanded Digressed Directed Foretold Instructed Interrupted Predicted Proclaimed Quoted Theorized
ASSHOLE Bellowed Boasted Bragged
NERVOUS TRAINWRECK Babbled Bawled Mumbled Sputtered Stammered Stuttered
SUAVE MOTHERFUCKER Bargained Divulged Disclosed Exhorted
FIRST OFF Began
LASTLY Concluded Concurred
WEAK PUSY Begged Blurted Complained Cried Faltered Fretted
HAPPY/LOL Cajoled Exclaimed Gushed Jested Joked Laughed
WEIRDLY HAPPY/EXCITED Extolled Jabbered Raved
BRUH, CHILL Cautioned Warned
ACTUALLY, YOU’RE WRONG Chided Contended Corrected Countered Debated Elaborated Objected Ranted Retorted
CHILL SAVAGE Commented Continued Observed Surmised
LISTEN BUDDY Enunciated Explained Elaborated Hinted Implied Lectured Reiterated Recited Reminded Stressed
BRUH I NEED U AND U NEED ME Confided Offered Urged
FINE Consented Decided
TOO EMO FULL OF EMOTIONS Croaked Lamented Pledged Sobbed Sympathized Wailed Whimpered
JUST SAYING Declared Decreed Mentioned Noted Pointed out Postulated Speculated Stated Told Vouched
WASN’T ME Denied Lied
EVIL SMARTASS Dictated Equivocated Ordered Reprimanded Threatened
BORED Droned Sighed
SHHHH IT’S QUIET TIME Echoed Mumbled Murmured Muttered Uttered Whispered
DRAMA QUEEN Exaggerated Panted Pleaded Prayed Preached
OH SHIT Gasped Marveled Screamed Screeched Shouted Shrieked Yelped Yelled
ANNOYED Grumbled Grunted Jeered Quipped Scolded Snapped Snarled Sneered
ANNOYING Nagged
I DON’T REALLY CARE BUT WHATEVER Guessed Ventured
I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled
I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered
OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered
SURPRISE BITCH Revealed
IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted
BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased
Edit: People, I’m an English and creative writing double major in college; I understand that there’s nothing wrong with simply using “said.” This was just for fun, and it comes in handy when I need to add pizzazz.