Don’t clog your lines with double attribution.
The author didn’t realize she was wasting words whenever her characters spoke.
In nearly every instance, she provided not only a dialogue tag, “Christina said,” but also a “beat” or “action tag,” a phrase describing what the character did as she spoke.
Consider this double attribution line:
“I’m so sorry,” Christina said, her voice cracking slightly.
And this, with only the action tag:
“I’m so sorry.” Christina’s voice cracked slightly.
Or this double vs. single attribution pair:
“What’s the matter?” Paul asked, stopping beside him and glancing at the surrounding woods.
“What’s the matter?” Paul stopped beside him and glanced at the surrounding woods.
Strictly speaking, there’s nothing wrong with the first two examples. But they violate writing’s key principle to make every word count.
There’s no rule that requires a “person’s name said” every time a character speaks. Readers just need to know who’s speaking.
Using an action tag not only identifies the speaker, but it also enables you to advance the story — with the potential to build characterization as you convey the person’s body language.
Fewer words and a stronger story. That’s a great way to write dialogue.
