Clarification on Dialogue Punctuation Rules

[Hypoxia]

sorry for belated response - medical issues

If you wanted to build a chair, and you consulted people who build chairs, they wouldn't tell you "Hey, just build it the way you want!" They would show you how it's been done before, and tell you about how to build a good chair. Writing is no different from chair building. If you want to write well, pay attention to how people who do it well do it. Learn from what's been done before, successfully.

Weak analogy. We build textual fantasies to give away for free here. We don't sit upon fiction to resist gravity, the only reason for chairs, tables, shelves, etc.

And good analogy. Nearly as many types of 'chairs' as of 'writings' exist. And various expert builders of both text and furniture prescribe vastly different tools, materials, practices, depending on taste, goals, and payoffs.

If a number of varied designs reach similar goals, personal preference wins. If various writing styles end giving the same meaning, go with your gut... or the gut of the editor who'll buy your stuff.