What do you say?

[Altissimus]

Here's an article that says you should only use 'said' for dialogue tags - no murmured, whispered, swore, responded, reflected, assumed, gasped, shouted or exclaimed. (Point #3).

Now, I'd be the first to argue that dialogue tags should be minimal and unobtrusive - no '"Hello," he elucidated inaudibly.' or crap like that - and even better, do without them wherever possible.

But if you are going to use them, I really think that repetitive use of 'said' is a mistake. If you're going to use a tag, why not use one that adds value, thereby reducing the need for other words in the immediate area?

Am I in the minority in this? What say you?

 

[Winter_Fare]

Honestly?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak

But it could be paranoia on my part.

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

I think the idea is to be sparing in their use. Less is more, they say, so employing tags other than "said" and "asked" is akin to adding a little tang of spice to a dish. Too much spoils the taste.

In general, it's a good rule, but like all writing rules, it's not an absolute.

 

[djrip]

Said feels repetitive when you're writing it over and over, but it's nearly invisible when reading. I say go without tags a third of the time, use said a third of the time, and sprinkle in a few murmurs or ejaculations here and there.

 

[Djmac1031]

It really depends on how many characters are talking, and the emotional context of what they're talking about.

My last story had a lot of dialog. But it was strictly between two characters.

So once I established who was speaking first and who was second, I could easily skip all that "he said / she replied" stuff and just let them talk.

If that goes on TOO long, however you can lose or confuse a reader in the conversation, so it can be helpful to reestablish who's speaking with the occasional "Bob said" or "Mary replied," and you might also wanna clarify where they are emotionally at that point in the conversation: "Bob laughed," or "Mary sighed."

I personally think "he said / she said" over and over again just sounds redundant and boring

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Whenever it is obvious which line of dialogue belongs to whom, "he said" "she said" should be avoided in my opinion. I put them when it is not clear who is speaking ( like when there are multiple persons in the dialogue) and when I need to convey an emotion. I don't know who the guy in the article is, but I disagree that those words shouldn't be used. I do agree that writers should refrain from using too exotic and clever-sounding words as it often seems pretentious. Also, if an average reader often needs to reach out for a dictionary to process your writing, then I'd say you are likely to lose a number of them.

 

[PrincessArianrhod]

Repeated use of 'said' to attach dialogue to characters is facile. No competent writer does that or would even consider doing it.

 

[KateAt55]

‘Makes no difference to me’ she typed.

 

[onehitwanda]

shouted, raged, roared, moaned, whinged, whined, whimpered, whispered, uttered, declaimed, declared, enunciated, pronounced, asserted, avowed, disavowed, abjured...

and each and every one has its own place.

Anyone who proclaims that 'said' is the be all and end of all of uttering is more than several ants short of a picnic, in my not so humble opinion. They are the sort of person who will look at the roof of the Sistine Chapel and moan about the grime.

 

[alohadave]

First of all, the article is a thinly veiled ad for a book the Elmore Leonard has coming out soon.

Second, he has a lot of absolutes in this list, and I'll bet that he's broken every single one of them when needed for his own work.

These listicles exist as low effort filler and should be taken in that vein. Maybe some things to think about, but don't expend any more effort following them than was used to generate the list.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Yeah, this entire article seems like an easy route to a very boring story. Leonard can get bent.

So I'm with you on this; technical isn't always best, especially when it comes to creative writing. There's really nothing worse to me than an over simplified piece of erotica. I've got a habit of writing with more than two characters at a time so I often cycle through a variety of dialogue tags, and thankfully my editor is fantastic when it comes to helping avoid repetitive use or spicing up something beyond 'he said' or 'she said'. Portraying emotion with words, tone and style of retort is magical...

 

[SimonDoom]

Absolutist rules ("thou shalt use no tag but 'said'") have no place in writing, or in any art. That said, I generally agree with the idea of using "said" and "asked" rather than other terms.

A number of successful, professional writers, including especially Elmore Leonard, have advocated using "said" and "asked" and minimizing the use of other terms. I agree with this guideline most of the time.

To me, when I see a writer going out of their way NOT to use said, and to use supposedly creative synonyms, it screams "amateur writer." The fact of the matter is that most professional published authors lean heavily on "said" and "asked" and don't use synonyms unless it's for a particular purpose.

Here are two good reasons not to replace "said" and "asked": 1) It's a form of telling not showing, and 2) It's lazy. Use the narrative or the dialogue itself to impart the tone of what the speaker is saying rather than a pseudo-clever Tom-Swiftyish verb.

The exception to this, IMO, is if the verb tag conveys some sensory aspect of what's being said, such as volume, such as "shouted" or "whispered." Those are perfectly acceptable verbs in the list offered by Onehitwanda, above. But I would never use "whinged" or "declaimed" or "abjured" as dialogue tags.

If you are concerned about overusing "said," then just get rid of the tag altogether in the following line after its first use. If you have several lines of dialogue, it's usually perfectly clear if you use tags to start and then do without them for a few lines. Example:

"Where are you going?" Ted asked.

"To the park," Melissa said.

"I hope you have fun."

"I hope so too."

In this example it's perfectly clear who is speaking without using a tag in every line.

 

[Djmac1031]

Character actions and the way you form a sentence and / or paragraph can also eliminate the need for "s/he said."

A small snippet from Pornville as example:

Candi turned and smiled when she caught him looking. "So, where do you wanna get started?"

"Um, HVAC unit is in the basement, right? I'm assuming the breaker box is as well?"

"The what box?"

"The breaker box. So I can shut the... oh, nevermind, just point me to the basement."

The first sentence easily establishes Candi as the speaker.

Which means the next line is his reply and so on.

No "she said," "he replied," "she asked," or "he answered" needed.

 

[Seadog777]

I write.....what I want, how I want, when I want.

Anybody that doesn't like it or says that I shouldn't do this or that, can go piss up a rope with their mouth open.

Everyday dialogue doesn't follow any dumbass fucking "rules" that someone arbitrarily decides on.

Just my opinion.....Have a great day.

 

[Altissimus]

If you are concerned about overusing "said," then just get rid of the tag altogether in the following line after its first use. If you have several lines of dialogue, it's usually perfectly clear if you use tags to start and then do without them for a few lines.

Character actions and the way you form a sentence and / or paragraph can also eliminate the need for "s/he said."

Well quite, problem goes away if it's not there to start with. As I said in my OP, tags should be minimal and unobtrusive. 'Minimal' meaning 'not used when you don't need to'. My first publication on Lit, 17 years ago, was dialogue-heavy with zero tags anywhere.

The original focus of the question was what to use when tags are necessary.

Use the narrative or the dialogue itself to impart the tone of what the speaker is saying rather than a pseudo-clever Tom-Swiftyish verb.

Perish the thought.

The exception to this, IMO, is if the verb tag conveys some sensory aspect of what's being said, such as volume, such as "shouted" or "whispered." Those are perfectly acceptable verbs in the list offered by Onehitwanda, above. But I would never use "whinged" or "declaimed" or "abjured" as dialogue tags.

'Some sensory aspect' is an interesting one. In a literal sense, that limits the choices to - as you say - shouted, whispered and similar. But an argument could be made that most tags bring 'some sensory aspect'. 'Demurred', for example. I'm quite fond of 'demurred'. 'Quite fond' means 'once every 30,000 words or so', before anyone overreacts.

 

[ronde]

There's nothing wrong with using "said" to denote which speaker is speaking, but I do try to minimize it because it can become painfully repetitive.

I also agree with SimonDoom about using words to indicate the mood or voice of the speaker. I often use "she giggled", or "she murmured" because both tell the reader a lot more than just what the speaker said.

 

[onehitwanda]

I often use "she giggled", or "she murmured" because both tell the reader a lot more than just what the speaker said.

Exactly.

 

[Seadog777]

When talking to your wife/husband about your day.

Do any of y'all say to them, that a coworker " she whispered this" or "he murmured that"???

NO.

You say, "she said this" or "he said that".

It's make believe literary rules.

Have a great day.

 

[SimonDoom]

There's nothing wrong with using "said" to denote which speaker is speaking, but I do try to minimize it because it can become painfully repetitive.

I also agree with SimonDoom about using words to indicate the mood or voice of the speaker. I often use "she giggled", or "she murmured" because both tell the reader a lot more than just what the speaker said.

I might use "murmured," but not "giggled." To giggle is not to say something. Strictly speaking, you can't giggle a spoken phrase. You can say something and then giggle, or vice versa. It's a figurative use I don't care for, but I realize some disagree. It's imprecise and it can be conveyed in other ways. "Murmured" is OK because it conveys a way of talking that one might be able to observe or hear.

I would say:

"You're a goofball," she said, giggling.

And not:

"You're a goofball," she giggled.

 

[Seadog777]

I would say:

"You're a goofball," she said, giggling.

 

[Altissimus]

"You're a goofball," she giggled.

This means that the words 'you're a goofball' were uttered (sorry, said) and then she giggled. What's wrong with that?

 

[onehitwanda]

It may not be nice and accurate in the strictest form, but I immediately understand that

"Stop," she squealed

and

"Stop," she giggled

are identical in structure if not in meaning.

 

[Djmac1031]

When talking to your wife/husband about your day.

Do any of y'all say to them, that a coworker " she whispered this" or "he murmured that"???

NO.

You say, "she said this" or "he said that".

It's make believe literary rules.

Have a great day.

Guess you won't be enjoying my stories anytime soon...

 

[Seadog777]

Guess you won't be enjoying my stories anytime soon...

I honestly haven't read anything of yours yet.

I won't judge your writing based on fucking grammar either.

 

[djrip]

When talking to your wife/husband about your day.

Do any of y'all say to them, that a coworker " she whispered this" or "he murmured that"???

NO.

You say, "she said this" or "he said that".

It's make believe literary rules.

Have a great day.

The way we talk to our spouses about our days is kind of like newspaper style - just the facts. No fancy poetic descriptions, people don't talk that way. However, I enjoy reading poetic descriptions in stories. But I agree news style has a place. Sometimes if I'm getting bogged down in "writing," I try to just get down the facts in a straightforward news style and go from there.