talking among ourselves

[baratron]

I hate dialogue. I mean, it's important to have dialogue in a character-driven story, because some of the characters' traits only become apparent through speech; and speech allows you direct access to their thoughts. But I hate the need to put words around the dialogue, to explain who said what. I find myself having to revert to the thesaurus just to break the dreaded threesome of "said", "asked" and "replied".

So here is my attempt to be vaguely useful to other newbie writers: 37 synonyms for "said".

26 37 synonyms for "said":
said
replied
answered
asked
stated
told
remarked

discussed
demonstrated
explained

expressed
clarified
illustrated
spelled out
uttered

announced
advertised
declared
proclaimed
asserted
shouted
yelled

gasped
murmured
mumbled
spluttered
whispered

grumbled!
muttered
commented!!!
quoted !!!!

repeated

declared
aired

exclaimed!!!!!!!!!
shrieked
cried

called / called out

Some of these only work in certain contexts, but contexts certainly exist within a piece of writing. The exclamation marks show how shocked I was to discover I'd forgotten the word and how many different dictionary attacks it took for me to find it again. ("Exclaimed!" will be my new pet, I think.)

Any other good ones? Feel free to contribute, that's the whole point of public journal entries :)

Comments

[hiddenpaw.livejournal.com]

I've noticed a few successful authors that in a two charater conversation keep the pace up by dropping this said/replyed/grumbled stuff as soon as the identity of the two charaters speaking has been established and letting the reader work out they are taking turns. I've tryed it myself in the past and it works quite well. You only really need to put in any kind of other comment when a charater pauses mid-speach.