I love writing dialogue. When I sent my editor the first draft of THE CHRONICLES OF JOYA she gave me a great tip about speaker attributions (he said, she muttered, she groaned, he chuckled, she screamed).

   Her tip was stick to he said and she said. Why? Because the reader’s mind will skim over he said and she said. When you write he requested or he uttered you risk taking your reader out of the story.

   Her other tip is write Paul said and not said Paul. After all, you wouldn’t say said he, would you? If you record both ways, you’ll hear the first sounds more natural.

   Write a scene with these new skills and watch your writing shine. Happy Thursday! Liane x

Ps. If you want to know more great editing skills, check out her book Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. And if you have any resistance or block to writing, read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Fantastic books.