Said is an underrated word. Most writers will say that it's overused and abused. That can be true if it's used too much. But not every word in your book needs to be extravagant.
Said is a very basic word that everyone uses. And that's okay! As I am writing, I want to make my book as clear and easy to read as possible. One thing that gets under my skin that I've even seen professional writers do, is not put claims after a character says something.
"She wanted a dog."
"But he wanted a cat."
Too much of this confuses me. Who's talking? And now it interrupted my picture and I'm angry. If the sentence isn't important, just put the character's name and said.
"She wanted a dog." Tiffany said.
"But he wanted a cat." Jeffrey said.
Now, of course, if you have the opportunity to do it, take it! Replace said with "replied" or "argued". Not a big difference but a change of pace and it breaks up the constant word of said. Now you don't have to think for twenty minutes replacing "said" with something crazy. Use thesauruses! They are a key to any great writer!
Here are a few words I like to use instead of said! Feel free to plug them into a thesaurus and get even more!
Said ;)
Replied
Smiled
Smirked
Offered
Ordered
Responded
Beamed
Grinned
Frowned
Growled
Snarled
Snapped
Grimaced
Argued
Retaliated
Sighed
Spat
Seethed
Raged
Scoffed
Hissed
Grumbled
Murmured
Teased
Mumbled
Muttered
Whispered
Pointed out
Whined
Winced
Hollered
Roared
Shrieked
Shouted
Yelled
Began
Started
Stated
Claimed
Explained
Yelped
Disagreed
Cooed
Nodded
Exclaimed
Begged
Called
Agreed
Snickered
Cried
Decided
Faltered
Chuckled
Choked
Sobbed
Groaned
Moaned
Giggled
Indicated
Laughed
Guessed
Lied
Gulped
Hesitated
Howled
Implied
Insulted
Joked
Pleaded
Praised
Thought
Proposed
Questioned
Recommended
Refused
There are way crazier words out there but I hate coming across a word I don't know and having to stop the story to find out what it means so I stick with the simpler words. If you want to use crazy words, go for it! Just not my thing!
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Writing Tips from Ace!
RandomIs it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's Ace with some tips! No matter if you're a new writer or an experienced writer, everyone messes up with writing! I'm here to help with some of my experiences! I do use other books and my own as examples, so ther...
