Replacements for "said" - Page 2 - Writers Forum

Fantasy of You · 09-15-2006, 02:16 PM

You don't need one. And when you do, use a thesaurus, and that shouldn't be often. Just make sure the word makes sense. Whoever it was who said add an adjective at the end of said needs shooting. It's quite possibly my most hated pet hate.

Fantasy of You · 09-15-2006, 02:18 PM

Double post. Sorry, comp is acting up. IMO, the only time you should use things other than said, which shouldn't be a lot, it should only be when what the character said/dose doesn't make HOW the char. said it obvious. There is a place for this, but it's small and gets bullied.

Mike C · 09-15-2006, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aspiring

I think it is purely a matter of individual style and although dialogue tags can be overused, I do believe there is a time and a place to use something other than 'said'. To indicate that anyone who does so is not doing a good job is simply short sighted.

I apologise if you thought I was denigrating your style - you're an experienced writer and are well able to decide for yourself what is and isn't acceptable.

I would certainly encourage inexperienced writers to stick as closely to the 'said only' principle (not rule) but I doubt I can tell you anything you don't already know!

aspiring · 09-16-2006, 01:48 AM

LOL

It was the very best butter

And I agree that for inexperienced writers, it's probably best to use 'said' as a general rule. You can break the rules when you're more confident.

wowzer77 · 09-16-2006, 03:00 PM

Sometimes you don't really need "said" or any other word for that matter, and can just immediately describe how the character said what he did.
example: "I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into," the man's voice was cold seemed to pierce the air around him as he spoke.

Or just don't type anything if they know who you are talking about:
"What would you say..." a pause, "if I told you that you smell like bacon?"
"I'd probably get on my knees and beg you not to eat me."

hope this helps. also, you could always use "stated". That word is also kind of invisible, but a little more noticeable than "said".

Spherical Time · 09-16-2006, 03:07 PM

I typically use different words when something changes that isn't implied by the action. If two characters have been having a conversation at a normal tone, and one of the them starts yelling, I use "yell." If one starts to whisper, I use "whispered."

The other time I use it is when I'm trying to reinforce an image. A person crawling sneaking into a military base will probably be "whispering" because "said" implies normalcy.

I will say that even I consider reinforcing an image to be a questionable use of synonyms for "said." I agree with Mike and aspiring. Use "said" as much as possible.

mammamaia · 09-17-2006, 11:01 AM

just check out any dozen books by the best writers [doesn't necessarily = the most popular!] and you'll find that 'said' is the most common choice and few alternatives are used...

valeca · 09-17-2006, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wowzer77

Sometimes you don't really need "said" or any other word for that matter, and can just immediately describe how the character said what he did.
example: "I don't think you understand what you're getting yourself into," the man's voice was cold seemed to pierce the air around him as he spoke.

Don't do this. 'the man's voice was cold seemed to pierce the air around him as he spoke' is not a dialogue tag. It's narration. It would require a period at the end of the actual dialogue and a new sentence beginning with 'the'. (That, and there's a flub in it.)