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Many literature writers recommend using only the word `said` or `says`, depending on tense, to describe characters speaking. A few of them go as far as to recom

Many literature writers recommend using only the word `said` or `says`, depending on tense, to describe characters speaking. A few of them go as far as to recommend this quite strongly, even when words like 'gushed' or 'shouted' may more clearly reflect what the author is intending to say. This, I think, forces the writer to rely more on the semantics and subtext of what they are saying. A reader could infer, for example, that after waiting for hours in the queue, a customer at the DMV would be frustrated; using `they said in frustration` is redundant and telling rather than showing. It also forces the writer to describe some physical behaviour of their character that reflects emotion. Example: > "Please," Paul whimpered, "I don't want a fight." VS > "Please," Paul said, burying his shaking hands in his pockets, "I don't want a fight." The second sentence is better, because it allowed me to communicate that not only is Paul scared, but he is trying to hide it. He is acting brave-- which reveals something about how our character handles situations. Much of what good fiction writing hopes to achieve is illuminating a character's attributes in a way that seems to blend in with prose. --- My point is, by forcing a minimal style of writing, it actually forces the writer to think creatively. I have observed that creativity thrives with structure and rules, and rarely in absence of them.

bigDinosaur 5y ago
Both sentences are perfectly fine, they have different meanings. I don't see why the second is inherently better at all. It has a different meaning, so if you wanted to characterise Paul with the first sentence but you used the second by accident you'd literally just not be conveying what you wanted.
morpheos137 5y ago
If English was more like Latin the "said" in the second sentence could be deleted all together and made implicit with declensions.
wolverine876 5y ago
Example: >> "Please," Paul whimpered, "I don't want a fight." > VS >> "Please," Paul said, burying his shaking hands in his pockets, "I don't want a fight." > The second sentence is better ... Many of the same writers would say that "burying his shaking hands in his pockets" should also be omitted, and Paul's words and the context should convey it all. But few would say one style is objectively 'better', I think.
throw3434053 5y ago
We had a concept for most of my lower level education: "said is dead". It was forbidden to use the word "said", even at the time I was a little suspect of the rule since every famous author uses it A LOT. However I think, as with most education, the most important thing is to send the pendulum too far in one direction, so that when it inevitably corrects itself you are in a good position. In general I agree that creativity thrives with structure and rules, but that's exactly what the ban on "said" hopes to achieve.

bigDinosaur 5y ago

Both sentences are perfectly fine, they have different meanings. I don't see why the second is inherently better at all. It has a different meaning, so if you wanted to characterise Paul with the first sentence but you used the second by accident you'd literally just not be conveying what you wanted.

morpheos137 5y ago

If English was more like Latin the "said" in the second sentence could be deleted all together and made implicit with declensions.

wolverine876 5y ago

Example: >> "Please," Paul whimpered, "I don't want a fight." > VS >> "Please," Paul said, burying his shaking hands in his pockets, "I don't want a fight." > The second sentence is better ... Many of the same writers would say that "burying his shaking hands in his pockets" should also be omitted, and Paul's words and the context should convey it all. But few would say one style is objectively 'better', I think.

throw3434053 5y ago

We had a concept for most of my lower level education: "said is dead". It was forbidden to use the word "said", even at the time I was a little suspect of the rule since every famous author uses it A LOT. However I think, as with most education, the most important thing is to send the pendulum too far in one direction, so that when it inevitably corrects itself you are in a good position. In general I agree that creativity thrives with structure and rules, but that's exactly what the ban on "said" hopes to achieve.