One of the sub-arts of fiction writing is dialogue.

The art of dialogue is often confused with the art of character (what happens between the quotations).

I mean, specifically, how as an author you artfully frame the dialogue.

A few examples:

  1. Naked: “Let’s go to the movies.” “Yes.”
  2. Saidism: “Let’s go to the movies,” he said. “Yes,” she said.
  3. Adjectival comments: “Let’s go to the movies,” he offered. “Yes,” she sighed.
  4. Tom Swifties: “Let’s go to to the movies,” he said insightfully. “Yes,” she said affirmatively.
  5. Action tags: Tom stopped walking and turned to her. “Let’s go to the movies.” She almost bumped into him out of surprise. “Yes.”
  6. Body language: Tom’s hands trembled. “Let’s go to the movies.” Marie looked down, pulled her hair back behind her ear, and looked up. “Yes.”
  7. Microexpressions: A smile pulled at Tom’s lips. “Let’s go to the movies.” Marie raised her eyebrows. “Yes.”
  8. Eyes: Tom couldn’t stop blinking. “Let’s go to the movies.” Marie’s eyes widened. “Yes.”

I like action tags and body language.

Some people like saidism, or plain naked dialogue.

There’s no right answer. That’s what makes it art.