No idea why I resist using “said.” I guess I do think it‘s boring. I keep meaning to pay attention to what my favourite authors use, but I always forget. I tend to put movement information there that also identifies the speaker. Maybe I need to take “said” for a spin.
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jmofo When writing dialogue, I have a tendency to use words that describe HOW something is said or what the person is doing when they say things. This is an interesting observation, though. I will definitely think about it and pay attention. 6y
CrowCAH I use said or an action verb to show movement of the character, adds dimension to what they “said”. 6y
Adriannagab It‘s an interesting point of view. I agree with @jmofo I often use facial expressions or movements instead, like “she peered over”, “she scrutinized”, “she raised an eyebrow” etc. and then add the dialogue (edited) 6y
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GingerAntics @jmofo @CrowCAH @Adriannagab i basically do a combination of what you guys do. If I use anything specific to speaking, I‘ll say something was whispered, screamed, cried, etc. I prefer the facial expression or the movement of the characters. I‘m glad I‘m not the only one. 6y
twohectobooks I‘m a big proponent of “said” with rare exceptions for the volume of the statement (screamed, whispered) or comic effect. 6y
twohectobooks I also need to pay closer attention to what my favourite authors do, though. I suspect that if I haven‘t noticed, it‘s because they‘re using “said” more often than not, but [citation needed]. 6y
GingerAntics @twohectobooks comic effect? I want to hear more about this. Do you ever feel like it‘s boxing you in or forcing you to use words that end in “-ly” which is supposed to be a no-no? I‘ve had that same thought about my favourite authors, but I‘ve never paid attention, either. (edited) 6y
twohectobooks I just flipped through some of my Terry Pratchett books because I‘m sure he did it sometimes but didn‘t find any examples. No luck! Also checked the Gormenghast trilogy and no luck there either. I think what I mean is the use of inherently funny words like “bloviated” or “expostulated” or “spluttered.” But they should only be deployed on occasion! 6y
twohectobooks Also I personally tend to use lots of adverbs but I gave up beating myself up about it after reading From Here to Eternity, which is conservatively at least 20% adverbs. If James Jones could get away with that, I‘m doing ok.![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png)
From Here to Eternity: The Restored Edition 6y
From Here to Eternity: The Restored EditionGingerAntics @twohectobooks I‘ve always heard adverbs are no-no words and to cut them all, but then I see them in books all the time. Oh okay, I do use words like that on occasion, usually more for a specific character that‘s a goof or something. 6y
GingerAntics @twohectobooks I‘m going to have to check out From Here to Eternity now. It sounds interesting. 6y
twohectobooks I didn‘t like it at all but it was a huge hit when it was released, so I may be in the minority! 6y
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