He said, she said

He said, she said.

I have read that writers are advised to stick to the basic word said while writing dialog, rather than trying to be "overly creative" with alternatives -- because said is good enough.

Hmmm......That sounds like another writing rule that simply has to be broken.

I've read novels and listened to books on CD in which every time a character speaks, the word said is used. It's a chosen style that seems to work, at least in small doses.  But for me, it sounds too repetitive when page after page, and chapter after chapter uses said over and over and......

"I'm going to the store," he said.

"Remember to get some milk," she said.

"I'll get 2%," he said.

"We should stick to skim milk," she said.

He said, "Good idea."

She said, "Hurry back."

Said, said, said – a bit monotonous.  Even the attempt to break the monotony, by putting that word near the front of the last two lines, rather than at the end, doesn’t really help.  The word said is so overused that a recent Wall Street Journal article summarized one teacher’s opinion that it (and other over-used words) should be banned.

I don't plan to ban the word from my writing.  Instead, I usually opt to replace said with other more descriptive words to make the prose less repetitive and to help set the tone and mood.  For example:

"I'm going to the store," he announced.

"Remember to get some milk," she called.

"I'll get 2%," he offered.

"We should stick to skim milk," she advised.

He mumbled, "Good idea."

"Hurry back."

I say, "Better."

Enough said?

Don

KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid!

That phrase, according to Wikipedia, was a design principle used by the U.S. Navy in 1960.  It seems applicable also to book editing.

Wait a minute!  One of my previous blog posts was about book editing, and here is that same topic again.  Boring!

Maybe, a little.  But KISS is something that I need to keep in mind while editing my own writing.  Keep it simple.  I'm learning.

I'd also like to share a few simple quotes from other writers on the topic of editing.  These came from (where else?) the Internet.  (If it's on the Internet, it must be true.)  Here are the quotes:

“You should edit before and after editing.”
-- Dwayne Fry

“There is no great writing, only great rewriting.”
-- Justice Louis Brandeis

“It was a miracle to me, this transformation of my acorns into an oak.”
-- Betsy Lerner

“Only the writers can change or fix the past by going back to edit old works.”
-- Munia Kahn

“Remove the comma, replace the comma, remove the comma, replace the comma...”
-- R. D. Ronald

So, inspired by these wise writers, I must go back to the manuscript I'm drafting and replace (or is it remove?) that comma -- again.

Don

PS:  On the topic of "acorns into an oak", I do have a brief story.  Was recently in Michigan in an area that is packed with giant oak trees.  One night, a 30-mph wind came off Lake Michigan.  The acorns fell like hail.  The noise, as they pummeled the metal roof, was like machine gun fire.  Bam!Bam!Bam!Bam!Bam!  I don't know if any of them will become oaks, but the chipmunks love 'em.

Black Walnuts and Book Editing

These two topics are connected -- really.  Please read onward.

My front yard has several tall native trees (black walnuts and osage oranges) that produce bumper crops of unpalatable fruit.  So in the fall, I spend many many hours picking up these botanical rejects from the lawn.  Billions of black walnuts (golf ball to baseball-sized green orbs) and a few lumpy brain-like green osage oranges (softball-sized spheres).  Yesterday morning, I took twelve wheelbarrow loads of walnuts to the woods behind the house -- picnic time for the squirrels.

While doing this mindless task, my brain can focus on earth-shaking topics, such as, "What was the name of that movie I watched last night?"  Or, "Did I put the milk back in the refrigerator?"  Or, "Why don't my socks match this morning?"

I also think a lot about book editing.  Some edit ideas pop into my head.  So I dig a small spiral notebook and pen out of my pocket to jot them down, and remind myself that I really need to do more and more and more editing, to make my novels more irresistible.  I'm relatively new at creative-writing -- I'm learning.

But I digress from the important topic: black walnuts.

When I finally finish picking them all up and dumping them out of sight, I get the reward:  the sight of a clean yard.  Yay!!

Thump!

Dang, another walnut just fell.  OK, I'll pick it up.

Thump!  Thump!

Only two more.  No big deal.

Thump!Thump!Thump!Thump!Thump!

They're everywhere again.  Well, at least I've never been hit by a falling black walnut.  I bet those suckers would hurt.

Ouch!

That one just hit me!  On the head!  I'm gonna sue!

Well, at least I've only been hit once by a falling osage orange.  That really hurt.

OUCH!!  

That's it.  I'm getting a hard hat and a suit of armor.

Thump!

As if the trees really care.

And the point is....?  Collecting black walnuts and book editing are never quite done.  For the latter, I hope that with enough experience, I"ll got this erditing thang write,

Don