"I love you," she said.
"I love you, too" he said.
"But you have to leave," she said.
"Yeah, bummer," he said.
Have we said enough? Saying "said" over and over in writing can get very boring, uninteresting, blah, and yes, redundant. Here is help and a look at more ways to get the point across.
Is the character feeling shy? Boisterous? Cheerful? Grumpy? Here are many ways to write "said" without actually putting that word down on paper. At the same time, the variety in the dialog descriptions conveys emotions in character speech more clearly.
According to My English Teacher, "You see that by just changing the word "said" into something more expressive and descriptive, the reader understands exactly how the speakers (or characters in a story) feel."
Showing Calm, Quiet, or Shy Emotions in Dialog
For a character speaking in a gentle or shy manner, some of these synonyms for the word "said" might be appropriate:
Breathed, mumbled, murmured, persuaded, purred, sighed, slurred, stammered, squeaked, whispered
Showing Loud, Brash or Angry Feelings in Writing
For an individual speaking in an obnoxious, authoritative, or forceful manner, some of these synonyms for the word "said" might work:
Admonished, argued, asserted, barked, bellowed, chastised, commanded, complained, confessed, countered, crabbed, cried, demanded, disagreed, exclaimed, glowered, growled, grumbled, hissed, howled, huffed, mocked, nagged, oozed, ordered, ranted, raved, retorted, roared, screamed, scolded, screeched, shrieked, snapped, snipped, snarled, sneered, spat, spouted, squawked, trumpeted, yelled.
Showing Fear, Grief, or Hopelessness in a Character
For a meek or fearful-feeling character, try some of these terms:
Bawled, begged, bleated, called, cried, exclaimed, fretted, fussed, gasped, groveled, gurgled, hollered, muttered, peeped, pleaded, pouted, prayed, shrieked, sobbed, sputtered, squeaked, wailed, whispered, whimpered, whined, yowled.
Questions and Answers in Dialog
When using a question mark or responding, "said" doesn't work well at all. Try these other words to convey inquiries and answers:
Asked, answered, agreed, disagreed, explained, implored, inquired, interrogated, posed, pressed, pried, proposed, queried, questioned, replied, requested, responded, retorted, suggested.
Showing Humor and Happiness in Writing
Bringing in comic or cheerful scenes means giving the reader cues in how the characters speak. Using the word "said" won't give the reader the same connection to humor or happy feelings as some of these types of words:
Blabbed, blurted, chirped, cheered, chuckled, croaked, crooned, crowed, gabbed, giggled, gossiped, grinned, gushed, jabbered, jested, joked, laughed, marveled, prattled on, quipped, rambled, recited, sang, smiled, squawked, teased, winked, whooped.
Still More Ways To Say "Said"
Added, admitted, advised, affirmed, agreed, announced, asserted, assumed, avowed, bragged, beckoned, called, caterwauled, claimed, clarified, clucked, coaxed, commented, continued, declared, drawled, droned, explained, expounded, expressed, groaned, insisted, interrupted, lied, mentioned, moaned, mouthed, mused, objected, pestered, preached, predicted, proclaimed, pronounced, protested, reasoned, related, remarked, repeated, reported, stated, suggested, taunted, thought aloud, told, urged, uttered, vocalized, voiced, vowed, warned.
For More Writing Tips:
- Getting Kids Writing Published,
- Teach Writing Without Handwriting: Ideas for Teaching Writing with No Penmanship Needed
- Easy Games to Teach Writing Skills
- The Writing Page at aabc_homeschooling.
- The Spelling Games Page
In Conclusion
When writing dialog, try using a variety of words to describe what and how a character is speaking. It's all right to use "said" sometimes too... just not to the point of annoyance or boredom.
Janienne Jennrich - Janienne Jennrich, Topic Editor for Kids & Teen Parties and for Hair, is an award-winning freelance writer & webmaster.
