Writers check it out! Some words you can use to tighten up that dialogue instead of the dreaded said:
Note: I want to edit this post to include something a blogger reminded me of in the comments because I think its important. It was something I woke up with on my mind and it occurred to me that I forgot to mention it in this post. So I hope you all don’t mind me adding it here:
Using said is still (and always will be) good just not too much as to make the dialogue sound monotone. Boring basically. However, you don’t want to go overboard with words that do nothing but show that you have an advanced vocabulary. All of these words must be used, obviously, with wisdom.
Said hides. The others may draw attention to themselves, creating a meta situation for the reader. Be careful not to fall into the being too clever for words trap
I’m actually glad you brought this up because it was something I wanted to mention but forgot too. What I wanted to mention was not to go overboard. Using said is still good just not too much as to make the dialogue sound monotone. However, as you’ve stated, you don’t want to go overboard with words that do nothing but show that you have an advanced vocabulary. All of these words must be used, obviously, with wisdom.
Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog.
Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome.