-"Said is Dead" ?-
One of the most common things I hear within the writing community is this phrase; "Said is dead."
The intention of this phrase is to discourage people from using the word 'said' before or after their characters says something, because it's "boring" and "doesn't help the reader visualize". Now, I can definitely see the other side of the argument...but it's wrong.
Said is not a dead word. It is actually a very good word and should be encouraged within the writing community. Here's why;
"Where did you put the hammer?" Ted inquired.
Julie answered, "Over here." she handed Ted the hammer.
"Thank you!" exclaimed Ted, taking the hammer from Julie.
"No problem." Julie responded as she went back to work.
Notice how 'said' was not used. Now, let me write the same dialogue AGAIN but replacing a few words with simpler words like 'said'.
"Where did you put the hammer?" Ted asked.
Julie said, "Over here." she handed Ted the hammer.
"Thank you!" exclaimed Ted, taking the hammer from Julie.
"No problem." Julie said as she went back to work.
Okay, so this wasn't exactly the BEST example, but I hope you can get the gist of what I'm trying to point out. Using simpler words like 'said' in dialogue is not always a bad thing. But try not to use simple words ALL the time. Spice it up, there should be a a good mix between 'said' and more complex words when writing dialogue.
Also, another reason why said is not dead;
"How dare you!" Hana vociferated.
"I-I'm sorry-" I spluttered, crying.
Hana clammored, "I hate you!" she ran off.
Okay, now let's rewrite that using simpler words.
"How dare you!" Hana cried, her voice shaking with anger.
"I-I'm sorry-" I said, stumbling over my words.
Hana yelled accusingly, "I hate you!" she ran off.
Which one had more feeling? I think most of you would say the second one. That's because I was able to use the same meaning of the words in the first one, and put them in a way that would relate to our feelings, not our intelect.
I know this was short, but I hope it was helpful!
Said is not dead.
LOL (lot's of love),
Elsa
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