We already talked about dialogue tags, but what if you don’t want to repeat “he said” and “she said” a million times? This is where action beats come in handy. Action beats are sentences that break up dialogue and describe the character and setting in more detail. It’s a more active way to describe who is talking and how they say it.
Action Beats: Body Language
These beats are normally single sentences, and they should add something to the dialogue. If you throw in a sentence between quotes just to break up the speaking, it will detract from the story. Here is an bad example of this followed by a good one.
“I can’t do this anymore. Everywhere I turn, you’re there. It’s suffocating.” Susan looked down. “You have to move out.”
“I can’t do this anymore. Everywhere I turn, you’re there. It’s suffocating.” Susan looked down at her white knuckles gripped around the knife handle. “You have to move out.”
The second version is more intense, right? In the first example, you don’t know if she lacks conviction to kick out the person or if she just doesn’t like confrontation. In the second example, Susan is clearly upset and maybe a little afraid of what the other person will do. The action beat added tension to the dialogue.
The last example also described part of the setting. The reader knows there is a knife in the scene. It could be a pocket knife. Or maybe Susan was in the kitchen cutting vegetables with a chef’s knife. She could even be a collector of daggers and pulled one off the wall. You can signal which type of knife she has by describing the setting earlier in the scene, but the point is that you use the action beats to tell more about the setting.
The action beats illuminate the characters as well. Susan holding a knife means she’s a fighter. Now, she could be an aggressor or just so backed into a corner by the other person that she feels the need to defend herself. Either way, she has spunk. I didn’t have to tell you that in the example. I just showed you her action of holding the knife.
2 Things To Avoid
- Watch out for repetition in actions beats. If someone is constantly looking out the window, the reader will think they have an attention problem. If Susan always clutched a knife in her hand, the tension of the example above would not be effective. Make sure to keep their actions varied. They can have habits, everyone does, but don’t beat the reader to death with them.
- Avoid generic action beats. Looking away is the biggest one. If they must break eye contact with a person, make them look at something. Give the gesture meaning and make sure it moves the plot forward. Let no action stay in the story that doesn’t have a purpose. If it doesn’t advance plot, character, or setting—delete it.
Action Beats: Vocals
You can also use action beats to show how things are said. Here are two examples.
“Tim.” Susan paused until he looked at her. “You have to move out.”
“Tim.” Susan’s voice was barley audible above the thrumming of the dish washer. “You have to move out.”
The first example shows hesitation, but it’s hesitation with a purpose. Susan has conviction behind her statement and wants to meet Tim’s eyes so he knows it. The second example shows hesitation in a different way. We get the feeling she lacks conviction by the volume of her voice. You can also describe tone and articulation. Does the character slur? Is he gruff? Does her words come out punctuated like the clicking of a typewriter? All of these descriptions can be used as actions beats.
Final Thoughts
Whether it is body language or vocals, action beats keep the reader informed while adding to the story. Using dialogue tags is still necessary, but action beats can change things up so the reader doesn’t feel like your writing is stuck in a repetitive cycle.
Thanks for reading!
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