tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post1546421533539382562..comments2023-12-26T09:58:45.306-06:00Comments on Writer Musings: Tag Me Brilliantly, Baby!Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-17449556173383941582008-08-12T08:34:00.000-05:002008-08-12T08:34:00.000-05:00Marcia - I agree, great discussion! :) So many i...Marcia - I agree, great discussion! :) So many interesting things to think about. I've never thought of tags introducing a beat. I get my beats from the emotion, and the words used to express them. Tags interrupt things for me, and I tend to skip over them if I already know who's speaking. <BR/><BR/>Keri - glad you enjoyed the post, and glad you stopped by! :) PJ's blog is awesome, isn't it?Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-59071840743721697752008-08-12T07:47:00.000-05:002008-08-12T07:47:00.000-05:00Wow, great stuff! Thanks for sharing. I was just l...Wow, great stuff! Thanks for sharing. I was just looking at this with my own WIP. This post is extremely helpful. Thanks again! :)Keri Mikulskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10674081854220914215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-91302288616909270652008-08-12T06:53:00.000-05:002008-08-12T06:53:00.000-05:00Great discussion! I really have to agree about get...Great discussion! I really have to agree about getting some distance from the book to see all the glaring things (especially little stuff) that you can change. And tags and action lines, whether or not they're used and where they're placed, have so much to do with beats.Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-66014098026966536392008-08-11T22:22:00.000-05:002008-08-11T22:22:00.000-05:00Blogger Susan Sandmore (link is in my sidebar) rec...Blogger Susan Sandmore (link is in my sidebar) recently had a great post on beats and rhythm in writing. It's really interesting how tags can add that "beat" for you. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-27247884338690849092008-08-11T20:35:00.000-05:002008-08-11T20:35:00.000-05:00I have to agree that I totally get the whole "addi...I have to agree that I totally get the whole "adding a beat" thing. It's why I used like a million tags in everything else I've written :)PJ Hooverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02602205868934777662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-12285108182763726722008-08-11T20:26:00.000-05:002008-08-11T20:26:00.000-05:00What can I say? You've got a great blog. :)Don't...What can I say? You've got a great blog. :)<BR/><BR/>Don't you love how everyone finds different things that work for them? Tags don't work for me, but they work for you. So cool! :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-2705132577566994762008-08-11T16:50:00.000-05:002008-08-11T16:50:00.000-05:00Thanks for the mention!Even when we know who's spe...Thanks for the mention!<BR/><BR/>Even when we know who's speaking, I like using tags to insert a beat into a character's line.<BR/><BR/>--Jenn HubbardJennifer R. Hubbardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03408588432492354248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-50441231687428016142008-08-11T16:01:00.000-05:002008-08-11T16:01:00.000-05:00Beth - Oh no, gerund phrases! :) However, those ...Beth - Oh no, gerund phrases! :) However, those are the easiest to fix. You just remove the "said," and rephrase the sentence. Much easier than translating an adverb into showing. :)<BR/><BR/>Angie - It's definitely much harder, but much more effective. And more rewarding, too. Then, finding a good balance gets even harder. This writing stuff is just plain difficult. But if it was easy, where's the fun in that? :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-56422721314832078642008-08-11T15:34:00.000-05:002008-08-11T15:34:00.000-05:00Thanks for this post! I do have a weakness for tag...Thanks for this post! I do have a weakness for tags, tho most of them are the plain "said" instead of icky adverbs. Today, when writing some more in my WIP I made a conscious decision to write around the tags...it worked! Much harder tho...Angie Frazierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04289117251403143766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-36481981947135118142008-08-11T15:02:00.000-05:002008-08-11T15:02:00.000-05:00Tags and adverb+tags are my weakness! I also have...Tags and adverb+tags are my weakness! I also have a nasty habit of adding gerund phrases (i.e., "he said, snapping his fingers under her nose")<BR/><BR/>Argh. Lemme go check my revisions and search and destroy some more :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-13716693258201186392008-08-11T10:45:00.000-05:002008-08-11T10:45:00.000-05:00Congrats on finishing your first draft!! Break ou...Congrats on finishing your first draft!! Break out the chocolate!! :)<BR/><BR/>I do the exact same thing now in my first drafts - I don't put "said" anywhere in the text. Instead, I'll put in action, which I can pare down on subsequent passes if necessary (and it often is necessary). :) <BR/><BR/>Writing is so much fun, isn't it? I just love learning new things and doing things better. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-17878049020772624042008-08-11T10:35:00.000-05:002008-08-11T10:35:00.000-05:00So I finished my current WIP first draft without ...So I finished my current WIP first draft without using a single tag. It was one of my goals. Now I'm going back and adding them when needed to identify the speakers, and then I need to do another pass focusing on the actions alone. Or vice versa.<BR/>All I know is there are lots of revisions ahead! But it's kind of fun to leave every single "he said" out.<BR/>Thanks for the great post!<BR/>And I'm also a firm believer in using only said (though I'm pretty sure The Emerald Tablet has its fair share of exclaimed's in it.) That's the fun of writing. To strive to improve!PJ Hooverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02602205868934777662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-90098846266918494652008-08-11T10:32:00.000-05:002008-08-11T10:32:00.000-05:00I'm so glad you enjoy my blog. Considering how aw...I'm so glad you enjoy my blog. Considering how awesome your blog is, I take it as an incredible compliment. :)<BR/><BR/>Distance really enhances your vision, doesn't it? It allows you to sort of get over your attachment to the words on the page, which makes editing so much easier. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1401296522737471037.post-64918504099832401572008-08-11T08:07:00.000-05:002008-08-11T08:07:00.000-05:00I learn so much reading your posts.Last year, I se...I learn so much reading your posts.<BR/><BR/>Last year, I sent my second novel off to a trusted beta reader for her opinion. One of her pieces of advice to me was to get rid of some of my tags -- that she found them distracting and annoying. I reread the section that particularly bothered her and could not see this myself. A few months later, I went back to it and saw what she meant immediately. It amazed me that just leaving this for a few months gave me enough distance to see what was wrong with it. I still struggle not to overdo tags, but at least now I'm aware I've got this tendency. And after reading your posting, I have a better idea of when they really get in the way!Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.com