: Re: Writing dialogue, present or past tense "said" This may seem like an off-topic question, but it's really more about writing than about the grammar. I use a lot of dialogue in my writing, sometimes

Avoid the tags and you avoid the problem.

I swallow and look at Mac.
He looks back at me, just as frightened.
"Tell me the truth, should I be scared?"
I hesitate. "I don't know."

Most readers will assume that any un-tagged quote came from the most recently mentioned character. Even when the speaker is unclear, most readers are willing to read a few more lines to figure it out.
In the case above, either character might have said "Tell me the truth...", but "I don't know" is obviously a response from the POV character. This clarifies that Mac spoke the earlier question which makes the now-absent tags redundant.

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: One more benefit which can be gleaned from submitting your writing for publication, is that occasionally someone at the publishing company will include some constructive criticism in their rejection

@Bryan361

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: Is it smart to reserve one's best ideas or to utilise them early in their writing career? At the very commencement of my writing "career" (I have virtually zero experience), I have an idea

@Bryan361

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: Printing or Private Use I want to find a Print on Demand (POD) outfit that will print my book without an ISBN, as I do not want to sell my work through any outlet, print or electronic.

@Bryan361

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: If you are based in the UK, there is a really great charity called young writers and they run lots of competitions throughout the year to encourage writers of poetry and short stories right

: Re: Writing dialogue, present or past tense "said" This may seem like an off-topic question, but it's really more about writing than about the grammar. I use a lot of dialogue in my writing, sometimes

More posts by @Bryan361

: One more benefit which can be gleaned from submitting your writing for publication, is that occasionally someone at the publishing company will include some constructive criticism in their rejection

: Is it smart to reserve one's best ideas or to utilise them early in their writing career? At the very commencement of my writing "career" (I have virtually zero experience), I have an idea

: Printing or Private Use I want to find a Print on Demand (POD) outfit that will print my book without an ISBN, as I do not want to sell my work through any outlet, print or electronic.

: If you are based in the UK, there is a really great charity called young writers and they run lots of competitions throughout the year to encourage writers of poetry and short stories right

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