Even Fiction Writers Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”Use “Said”

From Janet Burroway’s From Janet Burroway’s Writing FictionWriting Fiction

Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”

❖ Like a luggage tag or a name tag, a dialogue tag is for the purpose of identification, and said is usually adequate to teh task.

Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”

❖ Like a luggage tag or a name tag, a dialogue tag is for the purpose of identification, and said is usually adequate to teh task.

❖ People also ask and reply and occasionally add, recall, remember or remind.

Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”

❖ Like a luggage tag or a name tag, a dialogue tag is for the purpose of identification, and said is usually adequate to teh task.

❖ People also ask and reply and occasionally add, recall, remember or remind.

❖ But sometimes an unsure writer will strain for emphatic synonyms: She gasped, he whined, they chorused, John snarled, Mary spat.

Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”

❖ This is unnecessary and obtrusive, because although unintentional repetition usually makes for awkward style, the word said is as invisible as punctuation.

Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”

❖ This is unnecessary and obtrusive, because although unintentional repetition usually makes for awkward style, the word said is as invisible as punctuation.

❖ When reading we’re scarcely aware of it, whereas we are forced to be aware of she wailed.

Even Fiction Writers Use “Said”

❖ This is unnecessary and obtrusive, because although unintentional repetition usually makes for awkward style, the word said is as invisible as punctuation.

❖ When reading we’re scarcely aware of it, whereas we are forced to be aware of she wailed.