(Know these quotes? Check out the list at the end of this post!)
When I started down the path of professional writer I had to unlearn some “rules” I’d picked up along the way. I saw one of these misleading rules while looking for pictures to repin to my teaching writing boards (Middle + High School and Elementary) on Pinterest. There are several pins floating around claiming that “Said is Dead! (RIP)” and “Other Ways to Say Said.”
Said is Dead is a bad rumor that won’t go away. Poor said can’t seem to shake it. Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t ban said, and quotes from other authors and teachers to back me up!
1. Professional writers use said more often than any other dialogue tag.
Take any three novels off your bookshelf. Randomly open them. Skim a few pages and see what dialogue tags are used. Lots of “said” for the statements and “asked” for the questions? Perhaps there were a few whispers or murmurs. Maybe a shouted or two. Any laughed, giggled, grinned? Seriously—can you really grin a word?
Here are my random choices:
The False Prince: Book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy
by Jennifer A. Nielson. I opened to pages 112-113 and found: asked, said, asked, said, said, said, said, said.
There was more dialogue, but Nielson skillfully wrote internalizations and action beats to indicate who was talking. Every line of dialogue does not need a dialogue tag.
The Thief (The Queen’s Thief, Book 1)
by Megan Whalen Turner. Pages 34-35: I added, said defensively, said, said, said, said, replied sourly, said, said, added, yelled in outrage, pointed out, snapped.
One of the books I just pulled off the shelf was comparatively rife with alternate words for said. It was Michael Buckley’sThe Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1)
.
On Pages 88-89: shouted, said, complained, said, shouted, offered, said, ordered, threatened.
Oh, and here’s a bonus! On these same pages Mr. Buckley shows the proper use of some commonly misused “other words for said.”
Shrugged. The tall one shrugged. “Sorry, Tony, I didn’t think.”
Notice there is a period after “shrugged” keeping it from being a dialogue tag. You can’t shrug dialogue.
Snarled. He raised his heavy crowbar above his head and snarled. “Now we have to kill them!” Notice he didn’t snarl his words as a dialogue tag, but as part of the action. It’s really hard to snarl words. They have to be just the right words to get the proper effect (just like hissing words—better have some “s’s” if your character is hissing as a dialogue tag.)
Laughed. “Look out, here comes her boyfriend.” Steve laughed.
Notice there is a period after “boyfriend” indicating the sentence is over. Then Steve laughed. He laughed as a beat of action, not dialogue.
2. Said is Invisible.
Said is not a word that makes a spectacle of itself. We are so used to seeing the word said as a dialogue tag that our eyes skim right over it. In contrast, if you had a character that constantly “chortled” everything, then that would be the opposite of invisible and should be edited out.
3. The dialogue is boring because of the dialogue and the action surrounding it—not the dialogue tag. If you want to teach your students (or make your own writing more interesting) spend more time on the actual dialogue than on the tag.
My advice to students? Use said. Be aware there are alternatives you may use as you become a more skillful writer. For now, stick to said and asked. Feeling adventurous? Shout or whisper now and then. Don’t waste your time dreaming up crazy dialogue tags. Learn how to write engaging dialogue instead.
Here is the list of books quoted in the top graphic:”Ella, what are you doing?” Mother said. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
For the briefest moment the prince almost looked embarrassed. “Dying,” he said, “but I’m trying to be inconspicuous.” – Cinder by Marissa Meyer
“I’m capable,” I said. “But I have to know what I’m stealing.” The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
“Wow! That’s a lot of keys,” Daphne said. The Fairy-tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
“You certainly know a lot,” I say.
“Only about bread, he says. “Okay, now laugh as if I’ve said something funny.” – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The judge said, “You may go to jail or you may go to Camp Green Lake.” – Holes by Louis Sachar
“You’re not allowed in there. Convict areas are off limits to you kids,” he says. Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
“I see,” said Ender.
“You’re afraid to play me two out of three.” – Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
“Conner didn’t say he was a master swordsman,” I said. “Only that he was better than me. And yes, I would win.” – The False Prince by Jennifer Nielson.
