Something really interesting from Janet Evanovich...
So I recently bought How I Write by Janet Evanovich, (who is one of my all time favorite authors) and she had a part in there that just made me sit up and take extra notice.
(Taken from page 64 of her book)
The whole purpose of using "he said" or "she said" is to identify the speaker.
* Said is preferable to words like remarked, uttered, declared, articulated, murmured, or chortled. Descriptive words such as these can stop the flow of a sentence.
* Don't be concerned that there will be too many saids in your book. Readers never really notice it.
* In every case, if the speaker is asking a question, instead of using said use the verb asked.
* It's generally best to leave said and other verbs-joked, questioned, shouted, alleged, or whispered-unadorned by an adverb. (You know-those words that modify the verb and end in "ly.") For example, you don't need to modify "That serve was out!" with he shouted, irately. The character's intent is perfectly clear from his words and if not, shouted will do. If you still feel a need to beef up the message, you can always have the character pick up a tennis ball and slam it at his opponent.
When I read this, I realized that I spend way too much time in my fanfic trying to do what she says not to do. I am going to start using this in my own writing, and hopefully it will cut down on choppy sentences.
(Taken from page 64 of her book)
The whole purpose of using "he said" or "she said" is to identify the speaker.
* Said is preferable to words like remarked, uttered, declared, articulated, murmured, or chortled. Descriptive words such as these can stop the flow of a sentence.
* Don't be concerned that there will be too many saids in your book. Readers never really notice it.
* In every case, if the speaker is asking a question, instead of using said use the verb asked.
* It's generally best to leave said and other verbs-joked, questioned, shouted, alleged, or whispered-unadorned by an adverb. (You know-those words that modify the verb and end in "ly.") For example, you don't need to modify "That serve was out!" with he shouted, irately. The character's intent is perfectly clear from his words and if not, shouted will do. If you still feel a need to beef up the message, you can always have the character pick up a tennis ball and slam it at his opponent.
When I read this, I realized that I spend way too much time in my fanfic trying to do what she says not to do. I am going to start using this in my own writing, and hopefully it will cut down on choppy sentences.