Skip to main content

Psycho Bites: That's What She Said

I asked you guys if you had any writing quibbles and you answered with a thought provoking question.

“What are your opinions on said versus other dialogue verbs? I've heard from a few places that said should be used in the majority, or even totally, because it's a word that becomes invisible to the reader. Is there any evidence on that?”

Readers will always have different sensitivities to taglines, but you’ll annoy less people by using 'said' too often than going mental on the fancy alternative verbs. My thoughts are to use exciting synonyms of ‘said’ sparingly so that they have the most effect when you do, but there's no reasons to boycott all alternatives. In my mind, ‘said’ is a device rather than a word, and research supports this idea.

We don’t look at every word when we read. Instead we make jumpy eye-movements called saccades which often leave out small words and those which are highly predictable (blue moon, apple pie). We still process those words, but we don’t necessarily make a saccade onto them. For example, ‘I pulled out my keys and put them in the toaster’ is less predictable than if I had finished the sentence with ‘lock’. In theory, you’d spend less time looking at and have a higher chance of skipping ‘lock’ than ‘toaster’. After a tagline, it’s common for ‘said’ to follow, making it very predictable when implemented in a tagline.

Frequency also affects processing of words. We take reading for granted as automatic and simple, but it’s actually a complex process which speeds up with practice. Said is very common. You’ve seen it more, your brain knows better than other words, and therefore you’ll process it much faster than less frequent words such as ‘murmur’.

But what does this all mean?

Well, combining these snippets of research together suggest ‘said’ can be breezed over and sometimes skipped entirely. Therefore, it seems the ideal conditions for using said word (pun intended, sadly) are as followed:

  • Said is perfect when you want your readers to focus on what the person is saying rather than how they are saying it. This could be either if context strongly implies the way dialogue is said or if what is being said holds far more weight which further description would only distract.

  • Said is good to use when it’s not too clear who is talking or if the paralinguistic actions are more important. Just quickly drop in the name and get back to what’s important. 

  • Said is good when there’s a fair bit of turn-taking. You need to be able to follow the source of dialogue when there are three or more talkers. There’s nothing worse than a ‘he mumbled, she screamed, he murmured’ structure when three characters are in discussion. Readers can and will assume that characters aren’t constantly talking in a monotone without being reminded every tagline.

You’ll notice that covers nearly every reason for a tagline. However, ‘said’ doesn’t tell you anything about emotion or delivery and it opens the door to ambiguity (was that sarcastic or not?). It won’t heighten the atmosphere of what’s being said at that all important moment (think of ‘Go!” Todd said’ versus ‘Go!” Todd cried’). If ‘said’ doesn’t work, then a more specific word is needed. This occurrence should be less frequent.

Think of ‘said’ as a device rather than a word. It’s not a thrilling word because it’s not supposed to be; instead you can use it as a quick name dropper or an attention diverter.

This article was inspired by you guys – click here if you have any writing queries you’d like me to delve. Leave a comment down below if you found it useful or have an opinion too.

Cheers!

---


On a quick status note I’m currently buried by work: finishing off my dissertation, applying for some fantastic career opportunities, and keeping up my freelance editing commitments. There may be fewer blog posts in the weeks to come, but I will make sure those posted are of the highest quality.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I took my book for a walk

I know what you're thinking...or actually, I don't.  It's easy to picture that anyone who reads your work will only see the negatives. They have every right to, after all, and I'm a big critic myself. I find things to improve in most books, even when I give them five star reviews. This is why solidifying one of my novels into print was a big step for me, and because of Sod's Law, it coincided with one of the hardest times of my life to date. When my book published, I struggled to market it. Besides being crippled with morning sickness, followed by a decent into depression and anxiety (coupled with friends not really liking my book - only softened slightly by the fact they don't like YA/reading), I didn't have the energy - emotionally or physically - to give my book the launch it deserved.  It deserved better.  Because no matter what, I put a lot of work into The Clearing. Over several years and iterations, too. I'm proud of the twists, and I enjoy hearin

Book Review: Threads That Bind

THREADS THAT BIND by Kika Hatzopolou Disclaimer time: As always, the following is just my opinion. Other opinions are available.  THREADS THAT BIND is an epic fantasy with an urban feel. It has a fascinating magic system inspired by Greek mythology, and a story that explores the bonds of sibling relationships. Overall, it's a fast-paced book about fate, choices, and forgiving yourself, so prepare for morally grey moments and difficult sibling relationships.  Io and her sisters are descendants of the Fates, which means they're able to see and manipulate the threads that connect people to the things they love. Io is the third sister, and therefore she is able to cut threads. The story kicks off when Io is hired by the 'mobqueen' to investigate murders linked to vengeful wraiths. To top it off, she has to work with the very person she's been avoiding for years, a boy she's fated to love - except he already has a girlfriend. If you think that the above sounds like t

Indie Book Review: The City of Snow and Stars

THE CITY OF SNOW AND STARS by S.D. Howard 4 Stars Verdict: A dark fantasy with a wholesome cast.  Trigger warning for rape/abuse.  'I'm not wanted for me, only what I can give, and there is nothing left.' I don't usually quote books, but this is a very quotable story! The dialogue was powerful in places, and the way the characters bonded together was the strength of this Christian fantasy adventure.   It's written in third person with a narrative that I personally found a little distant at times. That said, the characters are easy to root for. Runaways Trinia and Jayden team up with a wizard to take down Trinia's abusive father before he can take over the kingdom. They're joined by a talking wolf and a shapeshifter called Batanny, who in many ways seems like an older version of Trinia. Threads of pain run through this book and pull the characters together in a way that makes this dark read still feel wholesome at times.  It soon became an easy to enjoy fant