Read This for Wattpad Success: A Guide

Said is Dead! Here's What Other Words You Should Use.

What can I say? Said is dead. Said is so last year. Said sucks. We need to get rid of said forever.

If you want compelling dialogue, use the word "said" as little as possible. When I see that word used over and over in a piece, it becomes old, and it makes you look like an amateur.

Here's a dialogue example of someone being lazy with said.

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"Caroline! It's time for breakfast," Bob said.

"Coming!" I said.

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Redundant, isn't it? Said could be erased from this dialogue. Replaced with "bellowed" or "hollered." Even, "croaked" or "shouted." Think about all the possibilities.

Said is the goto word for dialogue; I get it. However, you look lazy when your dialogue is filled with nothing but "said." There are so many other words to use. I'm going to write a little list below.

Anger

Shouted, bellowed, yelled, snapped, hissed, jabbed, demanded, spat, roared

Happiness

Giggled, grinned, bounced, gushed, laughed, joked

Fear

Stammered, mumbled, stuttered, babbled

Sadness

Sobbed, blubbered, cried

And there you have it. This just barely scrapes the surface. The English language has a lot of words. It's time to start discovering them.

Whatever you do, remember this one crucial piece of information: Said is dead. 

What other words could you add to this list? Tell me in the comments below. 

  I hope you've enjoyed this fourth part of Read This for Wattpad Success: A Guide. Vote, comment, and tag your friends who might find this interesting. Check out my new book The Risked if you have the time, I'd really appreciate it. Happy writing!