Editing of dialogue

[PaulX35]

When using dialogue, do you only use a [Tab] for the first line of dialogue, and then turn back to your standard line-width, or is the whole thing a character "speaks" tab-ed?
Not sure if this is understandable, so let me give an example:

This uses the one Tab:
"...he knew how to use them. His look was piercing, in a pleasant way.
[Tab]- “Yeah, don’t tell me. I’ve been trying to find a way to get home. No walking outside for me, not unless I’d want to break my neck,” she said.
Jason looked at her, ..."

Or should it be done like this?
"...he knew how to use them. His look was piercing, in a pleasant way.
[Tab]- “Yeah, don’t tell me. I’ve been trying to find a way to get home. No walking [Hrt][Tab]outside for me, not unless I’d want to break my neck,” she said.
Jason looked at her, ..."

Thanks for any help,

Paul

 

[Weird Harold]

When using dialogue, do you only use a [Tab] for the first line of dialogue, and then turn back to your standard line-width, or is the whole thing a character "speaks" tab-ed?

Tabs are a moot point when writing for online submission, because HTML doesn't recognise the tab character or leading spaces. You can force an HTML page to use leading spaces, but they have to be "non-breaking" spaces -- a special character that "looks" like a space but isn't treated as "white space." Tab characters have to be converted to an appropriate number of non-breaking spaces.

For other purposes, treat dialogue as youwould any other paragragh. If you're starting paragraphs with a tab or indented paragraph format, then use that with the dialogue as well. If you're not indenting the narrative, then don't indent the dialogue either.

 

[Whispersecret]

Yep. No indenting (tabs) for online stuff.

 

[Pee J]

Editing Dialogue

When writing dialogue for the Net and especially for Usenet, the recommended style is to have a blank line above and below each speaker's dialogue.

The alternative, used in most novels, is to indent the first line for each new speaker and not to have a blank line above and below.

As has been stated though, when the piece is likely to appear on Usenet (on a newsgroup, say), then indent by using spaces not the indent tab as it probably won't work.

The best solution for the Web is to use the blank line above and below each time another person speaks. This white space makes it much easier to read and it becomes obvious that there is a change of speaker.

If the same speaker makes a long speech requiring more than one paragraph, then closing inverted commas are only required at the end of the final paragraph. Opening inverted commas are however, required at the beginning of each new paragraph.

Hope this clarifies things

PeeJ