Young Writers Society

I was wondering...How many "said's" should there be in a chapter? I mean, I don't want to say "said" too much, but sometimes I run out of words to replace "said". Help!

"Said" is a controversial word. Your english teachers will tell you to find synonyms for said, whereas writing how-to books will tell you to leave said alone.

My advice: take the latter. Leave said alone. It doesn't matter how many times it occurs on a page, a story can be killed if you have too many said synonyms. Use synonyms only in the direst of circumstances.

Also, use tagless dialogue. This is always a good choice for long segments of dialogue.

-Kylan

FlyingDream wrote:I was wondering...How many "said's" should there be in a chapter? I mean, I don't want to say "said" too much, but sometimes I run out of words to replace "said". Help!

"Said" is lovely. Don't ignore it. You want to draw attention to the dialogue, not the tags. ^_~

Repeat after me. I do believe in "said"! I do, I do.

Better yet, try avoiding dialogue tags at all? not "at all" but think of dialogue tags only goal as to remind the reader who is speaking. If that is the case, you don't need it all the time, do you? ^_~

I don't agree. If I see "said" too many times in a story I'll get annoyed. (For ex. C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia. I love his books, but he uses said almost all the time and it just bothers me!)

There's a reason for using synonyms, it helps describes HOW a character is saying something. On the other hand, sometimes, you have no choice but use "said" 'cause you can't think of anything else to use.

I don't think there's a certain number of times you're allowed to use "said". Just use other words if you can, and if you can't, use "said".

I agree with Suzi. If you're having a long dialogue between characters, then use tags for the first few lines, then drop them. If they speak in alternating patterns, there should be no question.

Also, you can incorporate the speech into action, such as:

She set the glass down carefully on the table. "I wish you wouldn't do this anymore." Still, she did not meet his eyes.

This actually relates to a rule my creative writing teacher drilled into us: always keep the action to one character per paragraph. If you keep it all contained like that, the dialogue within the paragraph (also belonging to the same character) should come out clearly.

Otherwise, I'd say only use varying tags when you really want to pack a punch. Overdone, it just looks messy. Said is generally invisible, unless the entire dialogue continues in a "he said, she said" pattern.

I read somewhere that "said" is like punctuation; you see it, but you don't see it. You don't notice it any more than you notice the rest of dialogue punctuation. It helps guide your eyes and brain, but it doesn't draw attention to itself.

This site has a list of synonyms for said, and details about when and where they should be used. It's quite handy.

I think the word said shouldn't be used much, because using it over and over again is really boring. Picture this:

"Run!" Liat said.

BORING! It also doesn't help the mood of panic along. Said=bad

The word 'said' is your god when it comes to dialogue. Worhsip it, build shrines to it, write holy books about it.

Seriously, over using synonims for said is a great way to make your writing look amateurish. As Meep said, the reader doesn't really notice the word 'said', instead the dialogue is the focus.

Only ever use a different word to said when it is vital to the meaning of what is being said.

thunder_dude7, at the same time, constantly using synonyms of said makes the author sound pretentious. It's a fine line. In the example you used, yes, "shouted" or "cried" or "gasped" or something would be preferable, but if two characters are chatting, they aren't always "whispering" or "confiding" or whatever. Sometimes - oftentimes - people just say things, and that's okay.

I love said...I don't think I ever use anything that's not said. It's just so lovely and all-purpose.

"Run!" is one of those things best put in italics and left alone. ' "Run!" Emmet screamed' is going to detract from the meaning. And besides, if it's with an exclamation point, we can bet that it's probably not whispering, in context.

"Run." is the most powerful. Let punctuation and formatting- not dialogue tags- be your crutch.

Said is a wonderful thing. *wonders if I should have changed my username to Said...XD* Too many synonyms for it give me a headache. And remind me of elementary school vocab quizzes. Instead, you should hope that you've characterized your character enough in their speech (certain ways of speaking, word usage, grammar, etc.) that you won't have to tell the reader who's who at all (with the obvious exception of introductions).

I think a happy medium is the key.

When I see 'said' used over and over it annoys me, and when I never see it the replacements can become tiresome.

But then again I usually have little problem with dialogue tags. If I'm into the story, it hardly matters whether Matt bellows, mutters, or says.

I think it's really a matter of opinion. I, personally, don't like when "said" is used over and over. To me, at least, it shows a lack of creativity and laziness. (Yes, yes, I know I'm not going to hear the end of that )

However, if I can, as Suzanne said, I'll not use dialogue tags at all. Examples would be when there are only two people talking, and it's obvious who is saying what. Or perhaps you could replace the dialogue tag with action or body language? This, for me, is always preferable to any kind of dialogue tag.

synonyms: declared, stated, exclaimed, whispered, etc.