So, I have a question. Does anyone else find it awkward to write conversations with out saying "he sayed", "she sayed", or "So and so said" over and over again?
It can get tricky sometimes; I find using more specific words like "questioned," "replied," "stated," "retorted," "snapped," "mumbled," etc. where applicable can be effective to prevent it from becoming all "said". There are some very comprehensive lists out there (often including words that are probably more academic than practical.)Also, if you're continuing a dialog between two characters you can sometimes just have it go back and forth in a pattern the reader can understand. E.g:'Marcus looked out over the chaotic maze of streets and back at Bion. "You do know how to get us there, right?""'Course I do." Bion replied."So, you've been before?""Nope.""Then how do you know?""I asked a farmer headed out the gates.""A farmer?""Yeah. And?""I'm gonna ask someone else."'(I don't know if that was a very good example, but hopefully you get the idea)
I definitely agree with both @Ian G. and @Jo4life . It's best to be careful with using too many different dialogue tags like "mused" "expostulated" and "ejaculated" - those are really unnecessary, in my opinion, at least! But yeah, my advice would be to use "said" for most of the time, use more descriptive tags like @Ian G. gave examples of, and give necessary context clues every now and then when you're not using "said."
Thank you for making this post! It's a great idea!
So, I have a question. Does anyone else find it awkward to write conversations with out saying "he sayed", "she sayed", or "So and so said" over and over again?