: Re: How do you vary dialogue within stories? How do you vary dialogue within stories? I often find myself writing "'sentence/dialogue' said character", and it sometimes gets really repetitive. How

I agree with @JMC : try to avoid the said-bookism.

As an alternative to "said", you can always insert a physical action by (or thoughts of) the speaker. For example:

"Let's see here." Jimmy flicked through the survival guide. "Damn. I could have
sworn there was an entry on how to outrun a greased Scotsman."

On the topic of dialogue, I have a great memory of reading the novella Memorare by Gene Wolf. At some point through it I thought: this is some great dialogue. He often has characters, while having a conversation, talk to each other about different topics or on different wavelengths, yet it is all perfectly understandable to the reader. Worth checking out.

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: Re: How do you vary dialogue within stories? How do you vary dialogue within stories? I often find myself writing "'sentence/dialogue' said character", and it sometimes gets really repetitive. How

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: How do you track submissions to publishers/markets? What tools (software or otherwise) or procedures do you use to track the progress of submissions to publishers or other markets? How do you

: What techniques do you use to invent snappy turns of phrase? We all know clichés are bad[1] and that fresh, inventive and "fitting" phrases will delight and entertain our readers. What

: What are the benefits of being a slush reader? I've heard a few people recommend doing time volunteering as a slush reader (for a small press magazine, say), as the experience can be helpful

: How do I find a suitable copywriter? I am in the process of creating a web application. I will need some copy written for various pages in the site and some of the marketing marketing material.

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