When you're writing dialogue, it can be easy to overuse the word "said". Go through your draft and count how many times you've said the word said. I'll wait... It was a lot, right? So, here is a list of other words you could use in your dialogue other than the word "said". repliedaskedexplainedboastedacknowledgedpleadeddemandedshoutedaddedcautioneddoubtedsnappedassuredwhinedannounceddisclosedwhisperedmockedreassuredsharedexpressedscreechedbeggedscrutinizedproposedexclaimedconfidedyelledinterjecteddivulgedyammeredrevealeddeclaredmentionedshrieked grumbledclaimedstammeredansweredsnarledbraggedguessedinsistedapologizedretortedimpliedrantedcomplimentednotedscoffedcriedobservedscreamedmumbledgloatedquippedhintedsnickeredwailedscoldedstatedteasedchimed … Continue reading List of Words for “Said”
Writing Tips
Freelance Work for Writers
An effective way to build your name as a writer until your books come out is to do freelance work. From these jobs, you can build a writing portfolio to go along with your CV. You can find people who need things written in many places. You can also write your own pieces and submit … Continue reading Freelance Work for Writers
5 Elements of a Good Poem
There are many writing elements that you can include in your poetry, such as imagery, symbolism, rhythm, structure, diction, voice, meter, similes, metaphors, hyperboles, allegory, etc. In my poetry, the five most important writing elements that I include are imagery, symbolism, rhythm, structure, and meter. Imagery You want your readers to imagine exactly what is … Continue reading 5 Elements of a Good Poem
A List of Ideas
If you're a writer, you probably have a continuous list of ideas going that pop into your head. This list is gold. Your list of ideas is your intellectual property that you'll base all of your books off of. Your list of ideas is full of stories that only you can tell. Your list of … Continue reading A List of Ideas
It’s Not Too Late
It's not too late. It's never too late. I don't care how old you are, what you've done with your life, where you live, or how you got there. It's not too late to write a book. The reason you think it's too late is because you're comparing yourself to other writers. Writing is not … Continue reading It’s Not Too Late
Context of the Content
When writing stories from a different time period, it's important to keep the views of the characters and the overall content of the story in the right context. People who lived in the 1800s aren't going to act the same way we do in 2021. They live in a different era, so their lives were … Continue reading Context of the Content
Be Prepared
Writer's are really good at two things: writing and procrastinating. We procrastinate and we make excuses when we are confronted with a blank page. An excellent way to avoid procrastination is to complete a checklist of what you need to be prepared to write. This way you'll be doing something active and eliminating any excuses … Continue reading Be Prepared
Formatting
It helps me to format my word processor to the specifications for the type of work I'm writing before I start writing. This helps me visualize the book as it's going to be seen when it's finished. For example, when I'm writing my poetry collections, I format my word processor to 5 x 8 and … Continue reading Formatting
Let Your Writing Rest
You've finished writing your book but you know it's not perfect yet. You're eager to jump back in have the story completed. However, it's very important to let your writing rest for a few days before editing it. A change of mindset is needed before switching from writing to editing. When you are writing, you … Continue reading Let Your Writing Rest
Never Stop Learning
Writing is a skill that you can continuously grow. There are no experts in this field because there is always more to learn. You should never stop learning more about writing and practicing new ways of writing so you can get better. There are so many aspects to writing that we can practice, such as … Continue reading Never Stop Learning