That Writing Thing.
What's that word we all want to strike down from our stories?
Well, aside from adverbs. Though, personally, I have nothing against them. *hides*
SAID.
"It's not so bad," he said ( Read more... )
Well, aside from adverbs. Though, personally, I have nothing against them. *hides*
SAID.
"It's not so bad," he said ( Read more... )
Comments 9
Said is an important part of dialogue and it does seem - when you're writing - that you overuse it. However, 'said' in dialogue is one of those words that seem to 'disappear' when reading dialogue.
Next time you pick up a book, look at the number of times said is used. You'll be surprised.
That being said (*g*) I've had this discussion before with other authors.
Using other words instead of said is great for creating emotion behind the words, e.g. "Get off!" he snarled.
There is nothing wrong with the dialogue you used as an example, Leni. It works. Don't hide. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
Ares
Reply
But 'say' doesn't add much to the context, and that's okay because most of the times it's the dialogue itself what matters rather than the dialogue tag.
But sometimes, a little tweak in the tag makes the difference. For example:
"It's too dark," he said.
vs.
"It's too dark," he complained.
vs.
"It's too dark," he argued.
vs.
"It's too dark," he cautioned.
All three of them are right, but the last three dialogue tag alone sets up a different picture of the intent behind the words without needing more words.
Now, if the setting was already given, I prefer to go with 'say', as in,
"I need to be out there. Don't you understand?"
He really didn't believe leaving the house alone at midnight was a good idea. "It's too dark," he said.
But sometimes you want more of a staccato feeling to the scene.
"I need to be out there. Don't you ( ... )
Reply
Reply
I've heard 'mimicked' rather than 'imitated'. But 'sneezed'? lol. I'm hard-pressed to think of that one as a dialogue tag.
Though every list I've seen so far had words like that, which I still have no idea how or why they got there.
Reply
And I've also noticed as Ares mentioned that many authors/books I've read seem to use it freely and without guilt.
One of the alternatives I like that isn't supposed to be a word (at least according to my MS Word program) is "smirked." You can smirk at someone but I guess you're not allowed to say "Why, what could you possibly mean?" he smirked. Or something like that. I use it anyway.
I don't particularly dislike overusing the word "said" as I tend to ignore it as I read anyway...it's just rather boring.
The same can be said for the overuse of "replied" - another one I try to avoid if possible.
And I believe we should strike "sneezed" from the list. It seems particularly difficult to say something and sneeze at the same time, although it's not impossible. :)
Reply
Sometimes I'll put the 'said' back in, too. Lol.
I don't particularly dislike overusing the word "said" as I tend to ignore it as I read anyway...it's just rather boring.
It is rather boring.
I don't mind the word itself, but have you never run across a dialogue where it's used in four consecutive lines? I often wonder where the editor was.
Also, it's kind of sad to use a word because we know it'll be ignored. Why use it at all?
A pet peeve of mine is when someone uses 'asked' or 'questioned' directly after a question. As in, "What's your name?" she asked. Same when someone says 'exclaimed' right after an exclamation sign "It happens!" they exclaimed.I prefer to use those three in indirect quotes ( ... )
Reply
I tend to use said quiet a bit, but i've learnt to use it when another more descriptive dialogue might seem repetive.
It's also good to use it to establish who is speaking.
Reply
*nodnod* Especially when you've got more than two people in the conversation.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment