What about the quality of the writing? Were there any off-putting typos or grammatical errors?
What were the dialogue tags like?
Huh?
If the book was well written, you shouldn’t be able to answer this question.
Why? Because in good writing, dialogue should be seamless and tags used so subtly and sparingly that the reader is completely absorbed in the story, unaware of words like said, whispered or thought.
Next time you read a book, look for dialogue tags to see how the writer has used them. Compare it to the last book you read and note any differences.
Next time you write dialogue, think about the tags you use – and whether they are needed at all.
Any other tips for writing good dialogue? Share them here.