Pertaining to Lesson 3

I am totally guessing on this and it is one of my many weak spots. I almost hope this sounds dumb because I am... about this stuff.
I think! The tag is the portion before or after the quote marks Example: "Remember the Alamo!" Fred screamed, as he fell off the roof...
(Fred screamed, as he fell off the roof) ... is the tag. 
Fred falling off the roof... indicates character movement.
I also hasten to add, I am not positive this is correct. It is however, truthful and concise! (I don't think there are extra points for truthful and concise! Hahaha!)
The other way to display character movement is through narrative speak, which allows more latitude to create more vivid word pictures. Example:
As Fred fell through air he noted to himself, 'there is a bit of chill in the air. Of course it means not a thing, since I will be dead upon impact'... splat!

Wyatt

Hi LA,
Dialogue tags are used to help the readers (and also the author) know who is saying what.  When I first started writing my novel, I used a tag for nearly every line even when it was clear who was speaking.  I also didn't realize that it was better to put something like, he said, rather than said Johnny, if that makes sense.  Most of my tags now are likely quite boring as probably 90 percent are ..... said, although I've started adding some character movement and description in with these, such as Johnny burped, covering his wide mouth to mask his embarrassment.  The movements help to bring the characters to life and can be used to help the readers visualize the characters. Randy

To show who or whom is doing or saying what. Is that correct?

How about that... looks like I am catching on! See, miracles do happen!!
Thanks for your help, LA!

Hi LA,
No questions at this time but great information above.  Thanks, Randy

Hey CJ
If you are looking for a hard and fast rule that says you can't do that, you won't find one. And I can't, in good conscience, advise you against following your gut. There is, however, an adage in the traditional publishing industry that suggests only proven authors can successfully buck convention. The assumption of course being that only experienced authors know enough about the 'rules' to break them effectively. While I agree with this in general, I don't believe you have to reach proven author status to qualify.

How concerned you should be, I guess, depends on what route you’re looking to go with your writing. If the traditional route is your primary goal, then I’d suggest reading up on the importance and weight of a novel’s opening and approach your decision from a place of researched diligence. If self-publishing is your cup of tea, you could probably go with your gut and ignore the naysayers.

Bottom line is if your story is strong and appealing, and the writing mechanics solid, you’ll have little trouble attracting interest.

Good morning John.

Thanks for the note. I went hunting for your stuff but all I've come across thus far is deleted content--which unfortunately I cannot access or address.

As far as lesson 3 is concerned, we are discussing dialogue tags. Those are speech tags (he said, she said) and action tags (he coughed, she laughed). The term, 'character tag' is a misnomer. It is not a tag. At least not as far as dialogue and this class is concerned. It is a term used for description that lends to characterization, and as such, has no bearing on this class. I mention this because I don't want you confusing the terms, or yourself.

As far your how-to information, you are correct in assuming that too many tags, of any kind, can be disruptive to the reading experience. Most significantly, overuse can overshadow the spoken word--which should be the star of the show. It can also negatively impact pacing. A happy medium is reached when you can read your passage aloud and; 1. not get confused about who is speaking at a given time, and 2. not verbally stumble.

In moving forward, I would appreciate if you would do the following: First, upload the lesson and reading sample related to the lesson and leave them active. Second, copy and paste links to the uploads in the corresponding forum so I don't have to go on a treasure hunt to find your work.