HoneyPhantomhive
Byakuya Kisser
Hey there! I feel like I'm using the word 'said' or 'says' too much in my roleplay. What are some of your favorite synonyms to it? Thanks!
Synonyms to 'said'
- Thread starter HoneyPhantomhive
- Start date
Under the Bridge
New Member
You just need the one word. You don't need to use synonyms. They just distract the reader. 'Say,' 'says,' and 'said' will suffice, except in corner cases.
HoneyPhantomhive
Byakuya Kisser
[QUOTE="Under the Bridge]You just need the one word. You don't need to use synonyms. They just distract the reader. 'Say,' 'says,' and 'said' will suffice, except in corner cases.
[/QUOTE]
Alright, thanks.
[/QUOTE]
Alright, thanks.
Dusky
Succubus
That's up for debate, really. I like having synonyms. But I like writing dialogue that's clear enough you don't need "said" at all even better. Generally the quotation marks do the work for you.
Under the Bridge
New Member
Hence why you don't need synonyms.Anomaly said:
Coward
A marshmallow.
It always feels like you're writing 'said' too much, but actually it's a word like 'the' or 'and' that completely fades into the background for the reader. You can't really use it too much if you're using it correctly. Meanwhile the synonyms are often jarring and unnecessary.
Sesquipedalian
New Member
Personally, I rarely use the word "said." There are so many other words that are much better and convey meaning, attitude, emotion, tone, etc. much more effectively.
Example:
"That's boring," Nick said.
vs
"That's boring," Nick groaned.
The second sentence conveys much stronger emotion and attitude than the first.
So, some substitutes for said:
Hissed, whined, exclaimed, groaned, complained, cried, wailed, muttered, mumbled, whispered, shouted, ordered, chirped, sang, stated, grumbled, snapped.
There are also many more....
Example:
"That's boring," Nick said.
vs
"That's boring," Nick groaned.
The second sentence conveys much stronger emotion and attitude than the first.
So, some substitutes for said:
Hissed, whined, exclaimed, groaned, complained, cried, wailed, muttered, mumbled, whispered, shouted, ordered, chirped, sang, stated, grumbled, snapped.
There are also many more....
Coward
A marshmallow.
The thing is, mostly you don't need to hammer the emotion home at all, because it will be there in the context and the dialogue. If you do feel like it needs something extra it's often more useful and interesting to wrap the dialogue in character acting. E.g.
Nick groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "That's boring."
Accomplishes the same thing - we know who's speaking and that he's really really bored as opposed to just a little bored. We also get a chance to characterise Nick a little better, because he did the hand down face thing rather than picking at his nails, or rolling his eyes, or any of the other things a person might do.
Nick groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "That's boring."
Accomplishes the same thing - we know who's speaking and that he's really really bored as opposed to just a little bored. We also get a chance to characterise Nick a little better, because he did the hand down face thing rather than picking at his nails, or rolling his eyes, or any of the other things a person might do.
Sesquipedalian
New Member
Yes, I agree that action is also useful. I would never actually post my example in a roleplay, but it was just an example to show how useful other words besides said are.
I suppose it is also a matter of personal preference. I find anything including dialogue that only uses "said" to be rather bland. But there are times when too many substitutes are used as well. The substitutes have to flow and compliment the dialogue and the context, and if they do that, then they add to the writing and strengthen it. But if they distract from the writing, then it would be better to leave them out. Don't force any substitutes, but they can be quite useful.
I suppose it is also a matter of personal preference. I find anything including dialogue that only uses "said" to be rather bland. But there are times when too many substitutes are used as well. The substitutes have to flow and compliment the dialogue and the context, and if they do that, then they add to the writing and strengthen it. But if they distract from the writing, then it would be better to leave them out. Don't force any substitutes, but they can be quite useful.
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ProRPer
The Roleplayer
Groaned, Muttered, Exclaimed, Described, Questioned, Sighed, Spoke, Mumbled... And so on.
JustJazzy
Old soul
intoned, uttered, replied, murmured,
JayTee
Eight Thousand Club
As a rule, no one really cares.
Like, that's not even me trying to shit on you to be mean, so I want to be clear on that. 'Said' is one of those words that, as @Coward mention tends to phase out of awareness if used correctly.
I used to agonize over this exact issue myself, so I would go back and read books by my favorite authors to see how they got around the issue, because I never remember them using the word 'said'. I was shocked to realize that they used it all the damned time.
It should be noted that, as @Sesquipedalian mentioned, proper use of a synonym greatly add to a scene, but those instances should be rare, to further add to their punch. The more common something is, the less noticeable it becomes, so using said isn't as much of an issue as NOT using said. Using a synonym too frequently can be weird, and come off as trying too hard.
I still struggle with using 'said' and it's synonyms myself, but as a rule, no one really cares. (
)
Like, that's not even me trying to shit on you to be mean, so I want to be clear on that. 'Said' is one of those words that, as @Coward mention tends to phase out of awareness if used correctly.
I used to agonize over this exact issue myself, so I would go back and read books by my favorite authors to see how they got around the issue, because I never remember them using the word 'said'. I was shocked to realize that they used it all the damned time.
It should be noted that, as @Sesquipedalian mentioned, proper use of a synonym greatly add to a scene, but those instances should be rare, to further add to their punch. The more common something is, the less noticeable it becomes, so using said isn't as much of an issue as NOT using said. Using a synonym too frequently can be weird, and come off as trying too hard.
I still struggle with using 'said' and it's synonyms myself, but as a rule, no one really cares. (
)
ARSENIC
The Sweet Release
One thing I often do is use the facial expression rather than even a direct synonym to said. It often works the same way, since the quotation marka do a lot of the work for you.
Spacekitty
Recently Resurrected Divine Feline Entity.
For a more beginner writer using said and synonyms seem to work best but as you develop you start to transition into quotes without needing said or its synonyms
Although their will always be times when you use them, you just don't need them for every time your character speaks. In fact, doing so takes away from your writings flow.
Everyone here posted really good advice and a lot of good synonyms were posted here.
Using said all the time definitely becomes repetitive and changing it up to fit what's going on is great. But transitioning to it without using said or anything is usually even better.
Standard replacements would be replied, yelled, ordered, barked, roared, moaned, groaned, sighed, whispered, uttered, muttered etc
you could also use an adjective after said if you wanted, like "said softly"
Cowards advice though is really good
Nick groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "That's boring." using action to transition into it. Perfect
Although their will always be times when you use them, you just don't need them for every time your character speaks. In fact, doing so takes away from your writings flow.
Everyone here posted really good advice and a lot of good synonyms were posted here.
Using said all the time definitely becomes repetitive and changing it up to fit what's going on is great. But transitioning to it without using said or anything is usually even better.
Standard replacements would be replied, yelled, ordered, barked, roared, moaned, groaned, sighed, whispered, uttered, muttered etc
you could also use an adjective after said if you wanted, like "said softly"
Cowards advice though is really good
Nick groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "That's boring." using action to transition into it. Perfect
In addition to the suggestions written by the other users, you'll also find that there are plenty of times you will not even need to use any variation of 'said' at all.
For instance, when I change speakers, I tend to use a version of 'said' once, then nothing after than until the speaker changes once again.
---------------------------
Example:
"Never," I spat hatefully, "could I consider teaming up with a wretch such as yourself." In scrutiny of the sworn rival that posed before me, his arms folded out of indignance, I paced while keeping my burning eyes narrowed and trained on his detestable form. "You are arrogant to believe such a partnership could succeed. I've always hated your ilk, Janen."
A leering and repulsive grin sliced across his face as he responded in kind. "A partnership?" he chided, waving a hand dismissively toward me, "I want nothing of the sort. I simply wish to purchase your services, not form some dastardly alliance with my nemesis."
"So you say," retorted I, suspicions still flaring, "yet I still refuse to accept such nonsense."
----------------------------
Notice I only started the first section of each separate quotation with a variation of "said" and that's all that was necessary for each speaker. You can still set the tone for an entire paragraph of dialogue with only a single acknowledgement that a character is actually saying something. It's all based around preference of course, but I feel that including "said" too many times in dialogue can be generally unnecessary litter.
For instance, when I change speakers, I tend to use a version of 'said' once, then nothing after than until the speaker changes once again.
---------------------------
Example:
"Never," I spat hatefully, "could I consider teaming up with a wretch such as yourself." In scrutiny of the sworn rival that posed before me, his arms folded out of indignance, I paced while keeping my burning eyes narrowed and trained on his detestable form. "You are arrogant to believe such a partnership could succeed. I've always hated your ilk, Janen."
A leering and repulsive grin sliced across his face as he responded in kind. "A partnership?" he chided, waving a hand dismissively toward me, "I want nothing of the sort. I simply wish to purchase your services, not form some dastardly alliance with my nemesis."
"So you say," retorted I, suspicions still flaring, "yet I still refuse to accept such nonsense."
----------------------------
Notice I only started the first section of each separate quotation with a variation of "said" and that's all that was necessary for each speaker. You can still set the tone for an entire paragraph of dialogue with only a single acknowledgement that a character is actually saying something. It's all based around preference of course, but I feel that including "said" too many times in dialogue can be generally unnecessary litter.
