"where were you "she questioned or "where were you? "she questions?

Question

I am writing a short story .Is it compulsory to write every dialogue as "xyz"she beckoned or "xyz"she beckons is more correct.I am good at writing stories but i am not sure about the creative writing part or nitty grittys of the grammar of creative story writing .Is my question pertaining to the usage of active / passive voice?

Answer 1

Are you writing this story in past tense, or present tense?

Past tense: The cup rattled.
Present tense: The cup rattles.

As easily as can be explained, past tense means what you're writing is something that has already happened, and you are writing it down, sort of like a diary entry. Present tense is more like a movie script: Jack walks on stage and sees Katrina.

Passive voice is "My father was arrested by the palace guards!" You should say instead, "The palace guards arrested my father!" which brings action to the sentence.

And just because I'd like to know, are you writing this in first person, second person, or third person? First: I walked to the store. Second: You walk to the store. Third: Harry walked to the store.

Answer 2

I think it may depend on the context. It's hard to determine what is "correct" if we don't know what comes before or after this particular sentence. Is the rest of the story using the present tense? Or is it in past tense? You'll want to be consistent.

Answer 3

If you're writing in first person you could use both!
I can just hear Sam Spade saying something like, "I know what she's looking for. 'Help, Sam' she says. Can't trust her."
You know?

Answer 4

I think "Where were you?", she questioned. It really depends on the tense of the circumstance.