Who else remembers those “100 Other Words for Said” worksheets we used to get in middle school English class?
These lists are great for helping us build our vocabulary and learning the different ways someone might speak, but if you’re using this list to add variety to your dialogue tags, it could be detrimental to your writing. In the same way that misusing words is a sign of new writer, misusing or using too many different dialogue tags will often signal to a reader that the writer is a novice—even if you’ve been writing for years.
A dialogue tag is made up of the two or three words that writers use to describe a character’s quoted words. A quick example looks like this:
“That’s ridiculous. A porcupine would never wear a hat!” he said.
The “he said” is the dialogue tag. In fact, “he/she/they said” is probably the most common dialogue tag you’ve ever seen. If you’re a reader, you may have considered “said” to be a default word, if you noticed it at all. If you’re a writer, you may have previously been afraid or wary of using it. I blame these sheets.
We used those “Other Words for Said” sheets in school to teach us new words and exercise our writing skills. If you were anything like me, you had a lot of fun learning how to use each one of those words. But if you’re writing as an adult and currently working towards publishing your work—either traditionally or on your own—it’s time to set the sheet down and get really intentional about your tags.
There are two problems that writers often have with their dialogue tags: (1) they misuse a “said” word, and (2) they use too many.
The first is mainly a problem of vocabulary.
Like I explained about using a thesaurus, words are rarely interchangeable. We usually have different words for things because there is a difference in the word’s meaning, even if it’s small. Writers sometimes use “creative” dialogue tags to make the character’s words more dynamic or their own writing more interesting. That’s what dialogue tags are supposed to do, after all. The problem arises when an author uses a tag that does not fit the context of the scene or properly describe the character’s words. Many writers do this in an effort to not use "said."
“Gushed” is usually used when someone is excitedly talking non-stop about something positive. “Articulated” is almost academic and might be better used when someone is saying something carefully to ensure they’re understood. “Indicated” doesn’t seem to fit at all unless maybe the character is pointing to the approaching bus. But we don’t know. See how in the sample scene above, the three tags don’t really fit in to the context of two girls trying to catch a bus.
Many writers seem to be wary of using "said" either because they consider it boring or a mark of an unsophisticated writer, when the truth is the exact opposite. "Said" is your home base as a writer. It's the safe option that lets the dialogue speak for itself. The Sample Scene would benefit from us toning down those tags, so that it read more like this:
Basically, this all circles back to word choice. Your job as a writer is to choose the right words for the context of the story. You don’t want characters crooning, growling, snapping, and reprimanding if that manner of speaking doesn’t fit with what they’re saying.
The second problem many writers have with dialogue tags is that they use too many of them. Dialogue tags serve the very functional purpose of telling the reader who’s talking. When there aren’t enough dialogue tags, the reader can get confused on who’s saying what. On the other hand, dialogue tags are also there to support your character’s words, so that the reader can clearly see and hear how the character is speaking. Like all great support, your tags will often not be the star of the show. They should be nearly invisible unless they’re crucial. Too many will overwhelm the scene and distract from the conversation.
In combination with misusing the tags themselves, the scene above could read like this:
(Ignoring the bold, haha) You can see how these tags tell us who’s talking but also draw attention away from what they’re actually saying. As a reader I might be more focused on why the girls are “gushing” and “exploding” and have to read again to see what they said. Many of us are taught to use dialogue tags all the time for the sake of clarity, but eventually in the transition from novice to master storyteller, all writers have to learn how to use their dialogue tags intentionally and well.
How can you quickly find the balance between the two? First, you can make sure never to use a tag that you haven’t carefully selected to fit with the character’s words. Make sure you know what the word means before using it. But second, you can default to “said.” Many writers are afraid of it because it sounds boring, when in reality, said strikes the balance between being informative and invisible, as most readers’ eyes will quickly pass over it as they go through the conversation. That leaves you open to inserting a more precise word when the character’s word call for it.
You don’t need the full sheet of other words to keep your writing engaging and dynamic. “Said” really is your best friend when you’re writing, because “said” is your base. While you’re working on expanding your vocabulary and really learning how to use more creative tags,“said” is like vanilla ice cream: always available, reliable, and easily mixed with different things to give it more flavor.
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