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Just realized I've been writing my dialogue tags all wrong for years

A beta reader on my last fantasy chapter pointed out that I kept using 'said' with an adverb every single time... like someone was constantly 'whispering angrily' or 'shouting nervously'. Turns out I was telling the emotion instead of letting the dialogue show it through word choice and pacing. Has anyone else had a basic writing rule suddenly click after years of doing it the hard way?
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2 Comments
kai779
kai77911d agoMost Upvoted
Honestly, isn't that just how most stuff in life clicks way later than it should?
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blair_butler47
Doesn't it always hit you at 2am in the shower five years too late?
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