#instead of said

[slayingfiction]

Words to use instead of ‘said’

**Using the word ‘said’ is absolutely not a bad choice, and in fact, you will want to use it for at least 40% of all your dialogue tags. Using other words can be great, especially for description and showing emotion, but used in excess can take away or distract from the story.

Neutral: acknowledged, added, affirmed, agreed, announced, answered, appealed, articulated, attested, began, bemused, boasted, called, chimed in, claimed, clarified, commented, conceded, confided, confirmed, contended, continued, corrected, decided, declared, deflected, demurred, disclosed, disputed, emphasized, explained, expressed, finished, gloated, greeted, hinted, imitated, imparted, implied, informed, interjected, insinuated, insisted, instructed, lectured, maintained, mouthed, mused, noted, observed, offered, put forth, reassured, recited, remarked, repeated, requested, replied, revealed, shared, spoke up, stated, suggested, uttered, voiced, volunteered, vowed, went on

Persuasive: advised, appealed, asserted, assured, begged, cajoled, claimed, convinced, directed, encouraged, implored, insisted, pleaded, pressed, probed, prodded, prompted, stressed, suggested, urged

Continuously: babbled, chattered, jabbered, rambled, rattled on

Quietly: admitted, breathed, confessed, croaked, crooned, grumbled, hissed, mumbled, murmured, muttered, purred, sighed, whispered

Loudly: bellowed, blurted, boomed, cried, hollered, howled, piped, roared, screamed, screeched, shouted, shrieked, squawked, thundered, wailed, yelled, yelped

Happily/Lovingly: admired, beamed, cackled, cheered, chirped, comforted, consoled, cooed, empathized, flirted, gushed, hummed, invited, praised, proclaimed, professed, reassured, soothed, squealed, whooped

Humour: bantered, chuckled, giggled, guffawed, jested, joked, joshed

Sad: bawled, begged, bemoaned, blubbered, grieved, lamented, mewled, mourned, pleaded, sniffled, sniveled, sobbed, wailed, wept, whimpered

Frustrated: argued, bickered, chastised, complained, exasperated, groaned, huffed, protested, whinged

Anger: accused, bristled, criticized, condemned, cursed, demanded, denounced, erupted, fumed, growled, lied, nagged, ordered, provoked, raged, ranted remonstrated, retorted, scoffed, scolded, scowled, seethed, shot, snapped, snarled, sneered, spat, stormed, swore, taunted, threatened, warned

Disgust: cringed, gagged, groused, griped, grunted, mocked, rasped, sniffed, snorted

Fear: cautioned, faltered, fretted, gasped, quaked, quavered, shuddered, stammered, stuttered, trembled, warned, whimpered, whined

Excited: beamed, cheered, cried out, crowed, exclaimed, gushed, rejoiced, sang, trumpeted

Surprised: blurted, exclaimed, gasped, marveled, sputtered, yelped

Provoked: bragged, dared, gibed, goaded, insulted, jeered, lied, mimicked, nagged, pestered, provoked, quipped, ribbed, ridiculed, sassed, teased

Uncertainty/Questionned: asked, challenged, coaxed, concluded, countered, debated, doubted, entreated, guessed, hesitated, hinted, implored, inquired, objected, persuaded, petitioned, pleaded, pondered, pressed, probed, proposed, queried, questioned, quizzed, reasoned, reiterated, reported, requested, speculated, supposed, surmised, testified, theorized, verified, wondered

This is by no means a full list, but should be more than enough to get you started!

Any more words you favor? Add them in the comments!

Happy Writing :)

#writing resources #writing advice #creative writing #writers on tumblr #tumblr writers #dialogue #writing dialogue #dialogue tags #instead of said #writing community #writer #writeblr #writerscommunity #novel writing #writing #fiction

[butchdarling]

You know that study that found when doing a blind taste test the majority of people prefer pepsi over coca cola so coke changed their recipe to taste more like pepsi, and people actually liked the new coke a lot less because the people who were buying coke didn't want it to taste like pepsi they wanted their coke to taste like coke. That's what a lot of the new changes tumblr is working on feel like.

Edit: Instead of tagging staff in this you may want to fill out a support ticket instead. It's a better way to tell them directly what exactly you dislike about the new changes and what makes them bad. You can label your ticket as feedback if you're unsure. Here's the link:

#had to reread this post multiple times to make sure I never said cock instead of coke btw

[thisnoah]

"You treat your mouth as if it's Heaven's gate"

[Too Sweet by Hozier]

#the voices told me to #like the true English speaker I am I did have to go back and fix all my spelling mistakes #i thought he said “lean” instead of “neat” bc i didn't check the lyrics until the end :) #cod #cod mwii #cod mwiii #cod mw2 #cod mw3 #call of duty #simon ghost riley #simon riley #john soap mactavish #johnny soap mactavish #soapghost #ghostsoap #comic #comics #comic art #web comic #original comic #digital art #sketchbook #sketch #art #drawing #artists on tumblr

[honeypleasejustkillme]

“what’s wrong, talk to me”

“let’s fix this, i can’t lose you”

“we’ll work it out together”

#he’s the only person in my life that has said stuff like this instead of just walking away #actually bpd #actually mentally ill #bpd #bpd shitposting #bpd fp #actually borderline #bpd vent #bpd mood #bpd problems #bpd favorite person #green flags

[sapsuckers-and-stardust]

Watching Star Trek IV

Whale biologist: why do you hang around with that weird guy who calls you admiral and why are you so close?

Kirk: *hesitates*

Whale biologist, who lives in San Francisco in the 80s and is rapidly drawing many correct conclusions: that’s okay we don’t have to talk about it.

#she really said oh y’all’s are gay okay #Spock really was not giving off ‘straight Everyman’ in this film #the entire crew are dressed in different flavors of extremely homosexual #this movie is glorious #memory loss Spock is making me wanna cry tbh #it’s so gay (fun) instead of gay(tragic and insane) like the other three #star trek #star trek tos #spock #tos spock #james t kirk #k/s #spirk #tos spirk #star trek iv: the voyage home #the one with the whales

[cosmosnout]

Revelations.

#LOOL a lot OF ppl Though it said ate instead of are so I had to go back and change it #and that’s how Marco found out abt Ace’s dad #AGGHH I COULDT FIND THE ORIGINAL TEMPLATE FOR THIS (idk if there even is one) BUT SAW SOMEONE DO THIS AND IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF THEM #anyhow had to hit marco with that yassification beam 2000 #marco Fans are the strongest ppl out there bc ur man really out here with all that ass on his head /lovingly #anyway I love the wb pirates <<33 #pov: you pull up to the bad handwriting competition but see me #art #my art #fanart #one piece #portgas d ace #ace #Marco #marco the phoenix #op

[cursedtrekedits]

transporter malfunction

#star trek #star trek tos #tos #spock #jim kirk #leonard mccoy #all your tagging made me realize i said spock instead of scotty #so yes. that very small cat must be spock

[whoatemyshoe]

Everyone else: Wednesday no!

Wednesday: Wednesday yes.

Enid: Wednesday no!

Wednesday: Wednesday no... :I

#wednesday #netflix wednesday #wenclair #wednesday addams #addams #addams family #enid sinclair #enid #making gifs on company time #she might have said room instead of dorm but i've closed the file without saving so dorm will do!!

[linktoo-doodles]

alright....

QUACKITY: you’re a fucking bigass nerd WILBUR: and you’re attractive [QUACKITY STARTS LAUGHING AND TURNING RED, WILBUR GIDDILY JOINS IN] WILBUR: it had to happen once, it had to happen once. QUACKITY: lets, I have an idea I wanna take a little break from the wine WILBUR: [chuckles] yeah you need it mate QUACKITY: n-- [wheezes and sputters] hey fuck you. you know what j-just, literally… WILBUR: have I flustered you baby? QUACKITY: yeah i did

#tntduo #quackity #wilbur soot #wine stream #qsmp #dsmp #dream smp #mcyt #my art #Linktoo art #he was so flustered bro said 'yeah I did' instead of 'yeah you did'

[love-me-a-good-prompt]

50 WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF “SAID”

Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “said” in your writing? Try using these words/phrases instead:

stated

commented

declared

spoke

responded

voiced

noted

uttered

iterated

explained

remarked

acknowledged

mentioned

announced

shouted

expressed

articulated

exclaimed

proclaimed

whispered

babbled

observed

deadpanned

joked

hinted

informed

coaxed

offered

cried

affirmed

vocalized

laughed

ordered

suggested

admitted

verbalized

indicated

confirmed

apologized

muttered

proposed

chatted

lied

rambled

talked

pointed out

blurted out

chimed in

brought up

wondered aloud

(NOTE: Keep in mind that all of these words have slightly different meanings and are associated with different emotions/scenarios.)

#words to use instead of #said #words #writing prompt #prompt #writing #prompts #writing prompts #creative writing #writing advice #verbs #verb #word #synonym #synonyms #writing tip #writing tips #writing help #word choice #writer

[fishbloc]

i want to see what life has to offer with you by my side

#grian #goodtimeswithscar #desert duo #3rd life smp #trafficblr #咸鱼.jpg #sticker/keychain design to go with the book.... i Think #there was another concept where its sadder but then makkz told me to choose this instead #because she said 'its something i would own as a keychain' so ok

[sanshinexx]

In a world where Fives survived

[More incorrect quotes and fanart here]

#echo needs a hug™ #but it's okay because fives is here to provide :] #i had no idea what to do with echo's armor so i just decided that he both joined the bad batch and stayed with the 501st #because nobody can stop him #and because i said so #also i should currently be doing about 34 other more important things but instead i spent all evening drawing send help #star wars #star wars the clone wars #star wars clone wars #the clone wars #clone wars #tcw #the clone wars fanart #clone wars fanart #tcw fanart #fives #echo #the domino twins #domino twins #echo and fives #fives and echo #clone trooper echo #clone trooper fives #fives lives #star wars fanart #fan art #art #incorrect quotes

[critterbitter]

Blitzle let that inner zebra slip for a second. The children are terrified. Litwick’s impressed. Truly the start to a terrible friendship.

Masterpost

(Bonus doodle under cut!)

haha thinking about ingo and litwick again…

#for those curious: elesa just said the exact same thing ingo said: ie: THESE R MY ONLT FRIENDS DO NOT SCARE THEM AWAY. #oh and: sugar??? sugar instead of the candle???? #anyways ✨ mayhem ✨ #submas #pokemon #sketchbook #art #myart #fanart #pokemon ingo #subway boss ingo #submas comic #sorry emmet u r not here but ur here in my heart #ingo #elesa #blitzle #tynamo

[shatouto]

i've seen a poll about gale and anders but i feel like this one is a more difficult one to answer

#baldur's gate 3 #dragon age #see i think astarion wouldn't want to damage his nails. but also he has vampire reflexes #on the other hand fenris is.... fenris #personally imma go with fenris #edit: ok apparently y'all think this is an easy question sjdjsksk #no i legit was trying to be fair to astarion! he is pretty strong in melee (especially when he fights dirty)! #i mean it he's the dps in my party full of casters (maybe that's the problem...) #edit 2: my soul is pledged to fenris but istg y'all are so mean to astarion in the tags 😭😭😭 #edit 3: okay fine i should've said a fight instead of a fistfight..... sorry astarion #you all should know that every mention of fenris's strength makes me 🥵 btw. as it always goes #edit 4: the astarion roasting is starting to feel more like me being roasted personally and ya know what i deserved it-

[inkskinned]

he says i hate everyone except you and that is addictive and that is kind of romantic and beautiful because you're young and you're kind of a sarcastic asshole too and you don't like bad boys, per say, but you don't really like good ones either. and you like that you were the exception, it felt like winning.

except life is not a romance book, and he was kind of being honest. he doesn't learn to be nice to your friends. he only tolerates your family. you have to beg him to come with you to birthday parties, he complains the whole time. you want to go on a date but - people are often there, wherever you're going. he's just so angry. about everything, is the thing. in the romance book, doesn't he eventually soften? can't you teach him, through your own sense of whimsy and comfort?

at first - you know introverts often need smaller friend groups, and honestly, you're fine staying at home too. you like the small, tidy life you occupy. you're not going to punish him for his personality type.

except: he really does hate everyone but you. which means he doesn't get along with his therapist. which means he has no one to talk to except for you. which means you take care of him constantly, since he otherwise has no one. which means you sometimes have to apologize for him. which means he keeps you home from seeing your friends because he hates them. you're the single exception.

about a decade from this experience, you'll type into google: how to know if a relationship is codependent.

he wraps an arm around you. i hate everyone except you. these days, you're learning what he's actually confessing is i have very little practice being kind.

#i used to think it was romantic too and then i was like. now i see it as a HUGE red flag #writeblr #it is also almost EXCLUSIVELY said by immature ppl who think this is normal #fyi even if u think it's funny and ur like 'im an introvert it's just TRUE' like. you need therapy (ily tho) #healed introversion is just ''i would prefer to be by myself'' not ''i hate every person'' ... hate is not normal. that is not healthy #im sorry. i know it feels accurate. but if you're walking around with that kind of rage.... #1. you're making a LOT of assumptions about every single person u have ever met. which is often unfair and unkind #and also usually involves judging people based on their worst moments or little mistakes #2. you are being unfair to the person who is ur ''exception'' #3. there is a VAST difference between ''ur my favorite person'' and ''the ONLY person i like.'' #idk i think this is just a personal bias thing tbh #im sure there are people who have this experience normally #but i have YET to find a man who thinks like this and ISNT absolute DOGSHIT. although tbh.... like. im sure he exists #when u hit like 30 some of the things that were once kind of hot now just sound fucking exhausting. like ''im in a band'' #edit in the tags: i used to kind of be like this too. but the thing is that like. my life became so much more peaceful #once i started believing that people are generally good. like yes i am mad at the world at large #but it's just.... a very hard way to live. you're not a bad person or wrong for the ways other people hurt you and taught you to be angry. #but that anger will continue to hurt YOU. it will punish YOU. it will prevent YOU from making new deep connections. it will protect you yes #but it will also cause MASSIVE blowback. bc if you lose the One Person... your life will fall apart. i know this personally. #i really recommend just trying to be... cautiously optimistic instead. like. yes #people can be horrible and cruel and there are some communities (incels for example) that aren't worth that optimism #but i think like... most people will hold a door for you . most people want to help you find your wallet . #i hope one day you are able to find peace. i hope that rage eventually smooths over. i know how hard it is PERSONALLY #and i know what must have happened to you. and im deeply deeply sorry we share the same wound. #but i promise - sometimes we all need someone else to help us carry the weight. eventually the rage has to die so that we can let help in #i had to spend years biting at outstretched hands. i still often do. im still very wary . and my heart breaks that you flinch too. #here's the thing: i don't blame you. but we were both acting out of fear and pain. .... not out of healthy behavior. and ... change #was needed. i needed change too. rage was useful for a while. then it just left me isolated and bitter. i had to (with effort) #choose to let that rage go. and let people in . VERY SLOWLY THO LOL

[salamispots]

haven't been to the aquarium in of the pacific in years so it was really nice

#sketchbook stuff #artists on tumblr #having a lot more fun when I tell my brain to stylize instead of trying to draw exactly what I see #also I'm very proud of that one bird that looks like it's up to no good mghjkfhg #edit: RIP I SAID aquarium in the pacific and not aquarium of teh pacific mdfgkhjdkhdjg #implying that's it directly in the ocean LMAO