Said is dead.
We've all likely heard that one. Your middle school language arts teacher may have even had a poster tacked on the wall like a formal proclamation displayed in front of Buckingham Palace, declaring that "said" is dead with a list of synonyms ranging from asked and stated to screamed and muttered.
As a fledgling writer just getting her start, I followed this rule religiously. I avoided "said" at all costs; the only exception would be a character using it in dialogue.
"That's what he said, miss," the maid affirmed, "but I know not what to make of it."
You'd also see me favoring action beats over dialogue tags in general to denote the speaker.
"That's what he said, miss." The maid inspected a knife before laying it on the table, ensuring it was exactly one inch from the plate. "But I know not what to make of it."
Just enough for the reader to know that the maid is the one speaking here.
I would also skip dialogue tags altogether if possible. In a conversation between two characters, you can go a few lines without reminding the reader who is speaking. For example:
"That's what he said, miss." The maid inspected a knife before laying it on the table, ensuring it was exactly one inch from the plate. "But I know not what to make of it."
Charlotte frowned. "By chance, did Mr. Browne say anything about his reasons for the visit?"
"No, miss. Only that he would be coming in the evening."
"I see. Very well, then. I suppose there is little to be done about it now. Have Mrs. Lark prepare the tea and bring it to the sitting room when he arrives. I would like to speak with him before dinner."
Having too many dialogue tags can mess with the flow of the narrative. Too few, and readers may lose track of who's speaking. It's a balance. And back then, using "said" was made out to be a writing sin that I did my best to not commit.
To me, "said" was redundant. If something appeared in quotation marks, it was being said and therefore didn't need the "said" dialogue tag outside of identifying the speaker. What mattered to me wasn't so much that something was being spoken, but how it was being spoken.
"Said" wasn't descriptive enough for me. It's better to have your character whisper something than say it quietly—since adverbs were treated like writing sin in their own right—or show your character slamming their fist on the table rather than tell your reader that they said something angrily.
Later on, I was told that "said" is the only dialogue tag you should be using, and that it blends in for readers like a punctuation mark. I'm not sure if it was because of the "said is dead" rule specifically causing some sort of hyper-awareness or something else but "said" has a habit of sticking out for me as a reader. It's similar to the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon in a sense, where you learn of something and your brain starts to pick up on it more; for example, you're driving and it seems like every other car is a Honda when in reality you've just been seeing in influx of their ads during the Happy Honda Days campaign, making you more likely to spot to the Civics and the Accords around you than the Chevrolet Silverados and Ford Mustangs that are also on the road.
All that aside, even if I'm not able to ignore "said" as a dialogue tag, I can still understand why it's often preferable to its alternatives. Some of them can get absolutely over-the-top or ridiculous. Let's not forget the infamous, "Snape!" ejaculated Slughorn.
"Ejaculated" doesn't always refer to that verb. From what I can discern after a quick Google search, it can also mean blurting something out or interjecting. However, societal context and—especially in this scenario—the internet are prone to the aforementioned interpretation, hence its being the go-to example of overzealous synonym use and why you should really just stick with "said."
There also seems to be an abundance of characters growling their dialogue or somesuch nowadays. This can work in certain scenarios, but it's something that a couple of book reviewers I follow have described as something they cannot take seriously. Not quite on the level of "ejaculated" but still something worth mentioning here.
I held steadfast in my belief that "said" is dead. It wasn't something I got marked on when handing in fiction assignments; said was pretty much mandatory for articles published in the student newspaper I was a copy editor on, but you could get away with the occasional "added." My CP mentioned my lack of "said" was noticeable at first but she didn't get too thrown off by it. One of the earliest posts on this blog was in unwavering defense of "said is dead."
I was a nay-saider, so to speak, and it didn't seem like that would change.
*Pun wholeheartedly intended, BTW.
That is, until I was on the other side of the story.
So what prompted the change of heart?
There's one book I was reading not long ago in which the author, like me, rarely "said." Like my CP, I noticed it after a few pages but wasn't fazed by it.
At first.
After a few chapters, the dialogue tags and action beats the author used instead of "said" were a little out there. Characters chortled, howled, fumed, articulated, probed, extolled, and made things a bit complicated for me as a reader. It was getting over the top after a while.
It reminded me of how I DNFed the only Danielle Steele book I picked up because of how flowery and frequent her euphemisms for the male anatomy were. It was honestly distracting for me as a reader—and a distracted reader is a reader who is not engaged with your story.
This combined with the mention of the "growled" dialogue tags from multiple BookTubers around the same time put it all into perspective for me.
Using "said" in your writing isn't a sin. As for "said is dead," it's a guideline that's often misinterpreted as a hard and fast rule—one that's worth breaking in certain circumstances.
Here's the thing: you need to know how to break rules in writing, when to do so, and why it makes sense.
"Said" doesn't provide much description but its straightforwardness helps readers navigate your dialogue. Alternatives add flavor and make your writing come to life.
Using only "said" makes your writing feel flat or repetitive. That's why it's important to toss in the occasional synonym. Using "replied" or "stated" might suffice well enough. Sometimes you need to get more descriptive and do with "grumbled" or "yelled." And in other times, you may find an action beat more appropriate and have your character nod their head, shrug, or furrow their brows. But, as with "said," you don't want to overdo it.
All good things in moderation, you know?
So, that begs the question that has brought us here today: is "said" really dead? This isn't a matter of one or the other but a blend of both views. To me, using "said" all depends on the specific needs of your story at that time. What makes sense, keeps things flowing and interesting and, most importantly of all, what will make the most sense to your reader.
These days, I find myself fairly reserved when it comes to "said." A lot of the time, it's a placeholder until I can insert a more helpful alternative. I'll throw it in when multiple characters are involved in a discussion and I need to keep readers informed of who's speaking without diverting attention or disrupting the pace. I'll use it once every couple of pages but no more beyond that. But when there is a need for more description and specifics, I am more than ready to use a good old-fashioned "shouted" or "mumbled."
"Said" does have its purposes, like any other dialogue tag out there. I find I'm still hyper-aware of it when I read, but I also understand it a bit better now.
I'm not telling you that it's time to play that Newsboys song on full volume and text "Said's Not Dead" to ten friends RIGHT NOW (though it would be cool if you shared this post with your friends if you found it insightful or want to take a side in the "said is dead" debate). But I am here to say that "said" may not be as dead as many of us were taught to believe.
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