So, today I am getting a bit technical.

At the beginning of the semester in my creative writing class (note to self: do not take it if you actually like creative writing- but that rant is for another time), we studied how to write dialogue correctly. I'll be lenient on some kids in there, because English is not their first language. And I don't know if dialogue is written the same in other European languages. But, here is how many kids (who have been speaking and reading English their whole lives) wrote dialogue:

"Hi"said Jimmy. "Nice to see you again."said Bob. "How are you"asked Jimmy.

I am not kidding. These high school students (ranging from ages fourteen to eighteen) had no idea how to write dialogue in a story, technically or creatively.

When I was a wee second grader starting to write, I looked at dialogue from many books (particularly the Warriors series) and used that as a basis. Sure, I probably made a few mistakes, but I learned pretty quickly how to master the technical aspect of dialogue.

I don't recall a teacher ever pointing out to me that my dialogue was written incorrectly. Or ever mentioning dialogue at all (apart from CW and a college writing class.) I doubt it's part of the curiculuum, but dialogue is an integral part of creative writing, reading and newspapers.

And this phenomenon isn't just people who only write when it is an assignment. Half the people on WP don't know how to format dialogue correctly. No one ever taught them how, but few have made the effort.

I don't know the reasons behind these rules, but they should all be correct. Here is a basic guide to writing dialogue properly.

1) Punctuation

If a line of dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag such as he said, you put a comma INSIDE the dialogue at the end of the line. If the line is a question or exclamation, you put a question mark exclamation mark.

"I love you," Mary smiled.

"How are you?" Joe asked.

"That is so cool!" Hannah gushed.

If there is no dialogue tag after the line of dialogue, then you put a period. If it is an exclamation or question, you

Lily laughed. "You tell the best jokes!"

"That wasn't a joke," I said. "It was a threat."

"Can't you lighten up a little?"

If you put a dialogue tag in the middle of a sentence, put a comma in the end of the first part and right after the tag. Put a period/exclamation/question mark at the end of the second half.

"It's crazy," I smiled, "but it might work."

2) Capitalization

It pretty much works the same as standard English, but it can be confusing.

If the dialogue ends with a comma (which means it is followed by the tag,) then the action (said, whispered, laughed) is not capitalized.

"I miss my mom," said Katie.

If the dialogue tag is before the line, the first letter of the first word inside the quotes is capitilized.

He said, "As long as I am with you, I'll be happy."

If the dialogue tag is in the middle of the line of dialogue, then the first letter of the second line of dialogue is NOT capitalized.

"I wish I could be there," Ellie sighed, "but I have to help my dad."

3) Spacing.

White space is not a bad thing. It's not a five paragraph essay. You can use as many lines as you want. Anyways, whenever a new speaker starts talking, you start a new line. Simple as that.

"I'm hungry," Sophia complained.

"I could eat a cow right now," Tom agreed.

The next rule involving spacing took me awhile to learn. I had to look it up in a novel. What do you do when a character starts a new paragraph while talking? Simple. When you end off a paragraph, you do NOT close it with quotes. However, when you start the next paragraph, you DO start it with quotes.

"In order to factor polynomials, you must find a unicorn by traveling to Equestria. An alacorn is preferable, but a unicorn will do," Bob explained. "Then, you must fulfill it's heart's desire. When you complete that, you will gain power. After that...

"I'll get to the point. Unicorns aren't real, so you have to be insane to see them. In other words, you have to be insane to do algebra."

***

"To sum up, what have you learned today?" I asked.

"That algebra is impossible," said Kenny.

"That's common sense," I pointed out. "Anyone else? Come on, this must have been helpful to someone. My eyes are scarred from the horrible butchering of dialogue I have seen. Was this all for naught?

"Nay, help spread the word to thy friends and writers ev'rywhere," I sighed.

Seriously, though, dialogitis is a plague that is wrecking through Wattpad. It will consume our souls if we aren't careful.