The Battle of Said

Some people use it all the time, saying anything else is distracting. Others will avoid it like the plague because they think its boring, over-used, and limiting. But what is this thing? It's a simple, four letter word: 'said'.

"Doreen, you're the only love of my life," Bob said. "Take these roses."

"Anyone can give me roses," she said. "That doesn't prove anything."

"Then...you won't take them?" he said.

"Of course I'll take them, silly," Doreen said. "And I'll put them in this vase. But you've got to do something more if you want to prove your love for me."

"Like what?" Bob said.

"Oh, I don't know. Slay a dragon?" she said.

'Said' was in that example six times. The characters spoke six times as well. That is a clear over-use and it sounds silly and boring. Of course, it's not as bad in this instance because sometimes Doreen or Bob will speak for a longer amount of time. Thankfully, that adds a bit of variety to keep it from utter monotony, but 'said' still shouldn't appear so often.

Writers who use 'said' almost exclusively argue that that little attachment saying who spoke only exists to clarify the speaker. Supposedly, anything fancier would be distracting and would draw attention away from the dialogue.


"Doreen, you're the only love of my life," Bob exclaimed. "Take these roses."

"Anyone can give me roses," she sniffed disdainfully. "That doesn't prove anything."

"Then...you won't take them?" he hesitated .

"Of course I'll take them, silly," Doreen retorted. "And I'll put them in this vase. But you've got to do something more if you want to prove your love for me."

"Like what?" Bob asked hopefully.

"Oh, I don't know. Slay a dragon?" she queried.

The other end of the spectrum is the stance that 'said' is so bland and dull that it shouldn't be used. Claiming that more descriptive words strengthen the dialogue, 'anti-said' writers will strive to avoid that word.

As you can see in the example above, neither Doreen nor Bob said anything; they queried, hesitated, sniffed disdainfully, and exclaimed. Is that more descriptive? Yes. In fact, it's so descriptive that it's distracting, and when something is distracting it doesn't help the reader's mental picture. At all.

So then, which side is right?

Well...it's neither.

Both sides have deep flaws, but also values. Nothing but 'said' is extremely boring, and too much of a variety is tacky and distracting. Going to the extreme of either side makes writing immature.

A mix of both is the most ideal. There are times when 'said' would be more appropriate, such as when a character's words or punctuation convey the tone of voice. Further description would be redundant. On the other hand, situations exist when clarification is necessary and complimentary.

There are even more views to the problem of 'said'. Sometimes you can even get away with having no 'saying attachment' at all! When it's obvious who the speaker is, you don't need to add anything.


"Doreen, you're the only love of my life," Bob exclaimed. "Take these roses."

"Anyone can give me roses," she said distainfully. "That doesn't prove anything."

"Then...you won't take them?"

"Of course I'll take them, silly," Doreen retorted. "And I'll put them in this vase. But you've got to do something more if you want to prove your love for me."

"Like what?" Bob asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Slay a dragon?"

Dialogue is a subject that can be expanded even more! If you'd like to hear more about this subject, here are links to other posts on 'said'.

Teen Inklings E-Zine: Volume 4: DIALOGUE

Encouraging Words for Writers: You Don't Say!

Encouraging Words for Writers: Believable Dialogue

Yours without wax,

Izori