Line #67 Main/SaidBookism


1	->"Are you lost, Daddy?" I asked tenderly.\
2	"Shut up," he explained.
3	-->-- '''Creator/RingLardner''', ''The Young Immigrants''
4
5	A Said Bookism is a variety of PurpleProse in which the writer goes out of their way to avoid the word "said". It was quite the fashion at one point, so much so that there were "[[TropeNamer said books]]", which were lists of verbs that could be used instead of "said". You could use "exclaimed", "emoted", "sighed", "rumbled", "hissed", "pontificated", "enquired"... there was no shortage of them.
6
7	But it's not considered particularly good form. Using words like this tends to be distracting, particularly when it delves into SesquipedalianLoquaciousness. And using them ''all'' the time can lessen the impact of using a word other than "said". If ''every'' line is growled, snarled, or hissed, it becomes much harder to tell when a character is particularly angry -- and the writing just looks ridiculous. People are so used to the word "said" that they can mentally skip over it when reading; when the word changes over and over again, it becomes a distraction. It also looks like the author is [[DelusionsOfEloquence trying too hard to be sophisticated]], which makes the work look more forced and unnatural.
8
9	The idea was to avoid repetition, which indeed can be annoying. But employing the AuthorVocabularyCalendar isn't the best way to do this. ''Good'' authors can avoid extensive repetition of "said" by using more than just the dialogue tags to explain how the characters are talking. Descriptions of the speaker's posture, expression, or body language can easily give readers the tools they need to ''imagine'' how the character is talking. {{Subtext}} is also useful; there are some lines of dialogue that you can't imagine spoken in any other way. This also helps to avoid the characters becoming TalkingHeads.
10
11	As detailed in the RealLife section below, part of the reason for the prevalence of this trope is the rather aggressive methods schools take to prevent students from overusing the word ‘said’ in essays and creative writing tasks. While there are a multitude of words that are synonyms of said, often the original word itself is just as good when used in combination with an appropriate set of its counterparts, and context is important - read on!
12
13	The problems with Said Bookisms can vary depending on the specific word you're using:
14	* Words like "whispered" or "shouted" are okay, as long as that's what the character is ''actually'' doing -- they're useful if the reader needs to know that the character speaking more loudly or softly than one would expect. If ''every'' line is whispered or shouted, the impact is lost quickly. It's much easier to just describe a character once as having NoIndoorVoice.
15	* Words that don't actually describe speech are especially frowned upon. Using "laughed" or "sighed" as a dialogue tag (as opposed to noting that a character laughed or sighed) can be distracting. Using "smiled" or "shrugged" as a dialogue tag is totally nonsensical -- you can't smile or shrug a line.
16	* Some dialogue tags only make sense for lines with specific sounds in them. A line that is "hissed" makes no sense if it has no sibilants in it (the line "I really like beer" doesn't work in {{Sssssnaketalk}}). Similarly, you can't "snap" a WallOfText.
17	* A few dialogue tags, like "ejaculated", have come to [[HaveAGayOldTime gain connotations]] which render them unusable in serious text.
18
19	As always, Administrivia/TropesAreTools -- a Said Bookism ''can'' be effective, in certain situations:
20	* If used sparingly, a Said Bookism can be very evocative. It's the overuse that's the problem; if all of a sudden, you break out a bookism, it makes the line stand out. It's like the difference between a ClusterFBomb and a PrecisionFStrike; the same principle applies here.
21	* Some specific Said Bookisms are common enough that they are functionally equivalent to "said". "Asked" and "replied" are among the most common; they're widely considered perfectly fine, as long as that's what the characters are ''actually'' doing.
22	* An unusual Said Bookism can provide enough {{Bathos}} to be a good source of comedy, as seen in the page quote.
23	* Some languages are more tolerant of Said Bookisms than others; Spanish is a good example. If you want to {{Wools\|eyism}}ify something into Spanish, you're gonna need to know some "Dijo Bookisms".
24
25	A subtrope of PurpleProse. Compare TomSwiftie, which is a punny adverb sprung from the line of dialogue it tags. See also BurlyDetectiveSyndrome, DelusionsOfEloquence, AuthorVocabularyCalendar, and SesquipedalianLoquaciousness.
26
27	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with something said by a character named Bookism.
28
29	----
30	!!Examples:
31
32	[[foldercontrol]]
33
34	[[folder:Comic Books]]
35	* ''ComicBook/TomorrowStories'':
36	** In one special, Splash Brannigan decides to act like a FilmNoir-slash-dime novel hero, and narrates everything that happens to him. So this is how conversations go with him:
37	--->'''Splash:''' "Take it easy, toots!", I screamed. "I'm simply considering a career as a 1930's film noir detective!"\
38	'''Daisy:''' But it's 2005! You'll never find suitable premises!\
39	'''Splash:''' ...she moaned, seductively.
40	** At one point Daisy specifically tells him not to say "she said". Throughout the story, he basically uses every other word that could possibly mean "spoke", and a couple that couldn't, paired with increasingly ridiculous adverbs.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Fan Works]]
44	* ''FanFic/TheEndIsNear'' uses ''a lot'' of these, often combined with adverbs.
45	--> "What'cha playin'?" Mello inquired eloquently.
46	--> "Something violent," he answered, voice slightly strained. "What are you doing here?"
47	--> "Near is mysteriously absent," Mello reported dutifully.
48	* ''FanFic/MyImmortal'' has a sequence of these in Chapter 6:
49	-->“I’m so sorry.” he said in a shy voice.
50	-->“That’s all right. What’s your name?” I questioned.
51	-->“My name’s Harry Potter, although most people call me Vampire these days.” he grumbled.
52	-->“Why?” I exclaimed.
53	-->“Because I love the taste of human blood.” he giggled.
54	-->“Well, I am a vampire.” I confessed.
55	-->“Really?” he whimpered.
56	-->“Yeah.” I roared.
57	** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_uioZd3XJg this dramatic reading.]]
58	-->ENOUGH! with the dialogue tags. (I don't care what your English teacher told you, "said" is fine.)
59	* ''Metroid High School'', to a downright ridiculous extent. The word "said" is used maybe two times in the entire story.
60	* ''Fanfic/PastSins'': "Offered" is used quite a bit.
61	* ''FanFic/FromFakeDreams'' Almost every conversation utilizes some form of repetitive dialogue tag.
62	* ''FanFic/HomestuckHigh'', with an intrepid disregard for the actual meaning of the words used, up to the point of "she eviscerated softly".
63	* ''Fanfic/SakiAfterStory'' does this to the point at which "said" is only used by characters who are speaking in reference to what they or others have said, never to describe dialogue.
64	* Nearly every line of dialogue in ''Fanfic/HogwartsSchoolOfPrayerAndMiracles'' gets its own verb and adverb.
65	* ''Fanfic/{{XSGCOM}}'' gets a lot of mileage out of "opined."
66	* ''FanFic/YuGiOhRealitysCurtain'' averts this with extreme prejudice, most lines are attributed with 'said' or some form of action performed by the speaker. The author has also had a paragraph on their profile at one point detailing their contempt for this trope.
67	* Although ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'' is hardly guilty of this trope, there is a scene when the author deliberately did not use "said" at all--when the Pyar gods speak with the four. The two younger gods merely reiterate, in different words, what the primary god says, and every one of their speaking verbs is different. The implication is that what the gods are saying is, for the most part, both pretentious and useless.
68	* ''Fanfic/ChildOfGrace'' avoids not only 'said' but 'asked', substituting 'queried', 'questioned', and 'interrogated' in completely inappropriate places.
69	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13984214/1/Fulfilling-the-Vow Fulfilling the Vow]]'' has a ''lot'' of these. In addition to the usual substitutions, characters dismiss, probe, ponder, guess and so on.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
73	* ''Film/StolenKisses'': DiscussedTrope. Henri asks for a different word to use instead of "say" as he's already used it ten times in writing his report that morning.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Literature]]
77	* The trope name comes from the ''Website/TurkeyCityLexicon'', which lists it as a common mistake made by beginning writers.
78	* The ''Literature/TomSwift'' books were notorious for this, leading to the invention of the TomSwiftie.
79	* Literature/{{Biggles}} does this all the time. Algy and Ginger might be guilty of saying things, but Biggles and Von Stalhein never are.
80	* The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series had a few notorious examples:
81	-->"We're not going to use magic?" Ron [[HaveAGayOldTime ejaculated]] loudly.
82	-->"Snape!" Slughorn [[AuthorVocabularyCalendar ejaculated]].
83	** J.K. Rowling also used "ejaculated" in ''Literature/TheSilkworm'', her second [[Literature/CormoranStrikeNovels Cormoran Strike]] novel.
84	* "Don't use this trope," ''Literature/HowNotToWriteANovel'' [[HypocriticalHumor advised repeatedly.]] However, they don't lay down an absolute rule against adverbs, saying that they can add nuance to dialog that won't come across from what is said (the adverb ''coldly'', for instance, completely changes the meaning of a line like "I love you"), but they still strongly recommend that adverbs be used carefully and ''very'' sparingly on dialog tags.
85	* Nobody ever seems to just 'say' things in ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'', as skewered expertly [[http://reasoningwithvampires.tumblr.com/tagged/dialogue%20tags here.]]
86	--> "Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?" Jess asked dubiously.
87	--> "Really," I tried to convince her, not wanting to confess my dancing problems. "I've never had a boyfriend or anything close. I didn't go out much."
88	--> "Why not?" Jessica demanded.
89	--> "No one asked me," I answered honestly.
90	--> She looked skeptical. "People ask you out here," she reminded me, "and you tell them no."
91	--> "Well, except for Tyler," Angela amended quietly.
92	--> "Excuse me?" I gasped. "What did you say?"
93	--> "Tyler told everyone he's taking you to prom," Jessica informed me with suspicious eyes.
94	--> "He said what?" I sounded like I was choking.
95	--> "I told you it wasn't true," Angela murmured to Jessica.
96	* Creator/DaveBarry's ''Twilight'' parody ''Fangs of Endearment'' does it on every single dialogue tag.
97	* Creator/StephenKing voiced his disgust for this in ''On Writing'': "Don't do these things. Please oh please. The best form of dialogue attribution is 'said', as in 'he said', 'she said', 'Bill said', 'Monica said'." He also provides the best example of doing it wrong: "'You fucking tease!', Bill jerked out."
98	* Defended by Lawrence Block in ''Telling Lies For Fun and Profit'', in which he says that replacements for "said" can enliven a story, so long as they're not used with a heavy hand:
99	-->''I do feel that any number of alternate verbs have their uses from time to time. They can be good accent points in dialogue, and the less frequently you employ them the more effective they will be.''
100	* And from Creator/ShirleyJackson:
101	-->All remarks can be ''said''. Every time you use a fancy word your reader is going to turn his head to look at it going by and sometimes he may not turn his head back again. My own name for this kind of overexcited talking is the-other-responded. As in this example: "'Then I’m for a swim,'" cried Jack, a gallant flush mantling his cheek. "'And I am with you!' the other responded."
102	* In the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', the infamous: [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment "'Sorry,' apologized Brom."]]
103	* Occasionally, Creator/TimothyZahn's otherwise excellent Dragonback Trilogy falls prey to this. This actually crops up in pretty much all of his work. ''Literature/ChoicesOfOne'' follows the ''Eragon'' example above: [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment "'Sorry,' Luke apologized."]]
104	* ''Literature/WarriorCats'' falls into this sometimes, though this mostly is because the authors replace every instance of the word "said" with "meowed", which can get [[{{Narm}} a little weird sometimes]] and the authors want to avoid that. Apart from that, there are still a lot of said bookisms, like "ventured."
105	* The fantasy author Creator/RobertAsprin is another who sometimes had problems with this. Characters in the ''Literature/MythAdventures'' will often "retort" to something "argued" to them.
106	* Creator/ElmoreLeonard includes in his [[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE3DD103BF935A25754C0A9679C8B63 Rules of Writing]] "Never use a verb other than 'said' to carry dialogue." Another rule expands on that slightly: "Never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said.'"
107	* ''Literature/TheEyeOfArgon''. Nothing is ever "said" — instead it is "husked" or "ejaculated" or "stated [[PerfectlyCromulentWord whimsicoracally]]".
108	* ''Literature/AtlantaNights'' uses this quite a bit, as one of many deliberately bad writing techniques.
109	* "The word said is to prose what the arrow of a word balloon is to comics", Creator/NeilGaiman blogged.
110	* ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' is not only full of these, it's full of redundant ones, like "snorted contemptuously."
111	* ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' is very fond of 'murmur', even using it four times on one page. People are also fond of whispering things. Also, dialogue often gets tagged with actions, in some cases ''[[EpicFail not by the actual speaker]]''. This can make it quite hard to tell who's talking at any given time.
112	* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Hodor's dialogue is frequently tagged with Said Bookisms because he [[VerbalTicName can only say]] [[PokemonSpeak his name]], such as "''Hodor'', Hodor agreed" or "''Hodor'', Hodor protested". Also [[BuffySpeak reinsubverted or something]] on at least one occasion in which the word "hodor" is used ''as'' a Said Bookism in-universe.
113	-->'''Bran:''' [[MemeticMutation "Hush, Hodor. No more hodoring."]]
114	* Darren Shan, most famous for ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan,'' likes to use these regardless of whether they're needed or not. He once used the word "tsked." No, really.
115	* Classic science fiction writer Stanley Weinbaum's most famous short story is "A Martian Odyssey," which he followed with a sequel, "The Valley of Dreams." They involve a team of astronauts who have traveled to Mars, including a German named [[BilingualBonus Putz]] as a minor character. Both stories give him a chance to [[{{Have a Gay Old Time}} "ejaculate"]] a line of dialogue.
116	* Walter Kerr's ''How Not to Write a Play'' cautions playwrights against the theatrical equivalent of this trope, which is to lead every significant line of dialogue with an adverb in parentheses.
117	* In ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'', the members of King Azaz's cabinet (the Minister of Meaning, the Duke of Definition, The Earl of Essence, the Count of Countenance, and the Undersecretary of Understanding) talk like this all the time, to demonstrate how wasteful they are with words.
118	* This is really prevalent throughout ''Literature/StrengthAndJustice''. Nearly every line of dialogue will have this.
119	* PlayedForLaughs, like pretty much everything else, in ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'':
120	-->Spam gagged, and his arm went limp. "Die," he suggested.
121	* Some ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' authors do this at times, leading to quite a jarring effect in longer conversations. An example from ''Deathfire'', which is positively filled up with those:
122	-->"Did you see that?" asked Venator.\
123	"A half-naked legionary," Finius concurred.\
124	"Inviglio's survivor?" suggested Corvun.\
125	"Sprinting for the bridge," added Lenator.
126	* Everyone, mortal and supernatural, seems to murmur a lot in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''.
127	* Discussed in ''Literature/UpTheDownStaircase''. When a student's book report sounds awkward because of his use of "depicts" and "portrays," Miss Barrett tells her class there is nothing wrong with the word "says."
128	* Fabian Black takes this to bizarre extremes, once even using "patted Michael's bottom," which would make sense only if Michael and the person speaking had worked out a bottom-patting language.
129	* In ''Like People in History'' by Felice Picano, entire passages of dialog use this. Whether Picano is being serious or poking fun at this trope, the effect is tedious.
130	* Creator/OgdenNash's poem "To Ee is Human" parodies this by giving every line of Mr Webster's dialogue one, and every line of Mr Mirriam's a synonym that doesn't work (for instance, if Webster "barks" a line, them Mirriam "bowwows" one.)
131	* Creator/AgathaChristie's writings are full of "ejaculated [insert character name]" whenever anyone speaks right after being startled.
132	* ''Literature/GarthMarenghisTerrorTome'': This is part of the StylisticSuck in which the whole book is presented. Our fictional hack author, a lover of PurpleProse, will rarely pass up an opportunity to insert an adjective or adverb even when it's unnecessary, and this holds true with his descriptions of dialogue.
133	-->"I agree," Capello agreed.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
137	* Said Bookism appears in-universe, played for pathos, in ''Series/TheWire'', when [[spoiler:Ziggy Sobotka]] insists that a character didn't ''say'' something, he ''begged''. But he's not a writer. He's reviewing his murder confession, and it was his victim who begged, "Please don't shoot me."
138	-->'''Suspect:''' But that's not going to mess you up, though, right?\
139	'''Detective:''' No, it's more descriptive like that. [[SympathyForTheDevil It's good.]] Thanks.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Music]]
143	* Played for laughs in ''Music/FlightOfTheConchords'' FracturedFairyTale "Albi the Racist Dragon";
144	-->''Just at that moment, he felt a tiny little hand rest upon his tail. And who should that little hand belong to, but the [[NoodleIncident badly burnt Albanian boy from the day before.]]\
145	"What are you doing here? I thought I killed you yesterday," grumbled Albi, quite racistly.\
146	"No Albi, you didn't kill me with your dragon flames--I crawled to safety. But you did leave me very badly disfigured," laughed the boy.''
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Web Animation]]
150	* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'':
151	** Parodied in [[Recap/HomestarRunnerTheHomestarRunnerGetsSomethingStuckInHisCraw "The Homestar Runner Gets Something Stuck in His Craw",]] which deliberately (over)uses Said Bookism as part of a parody of bad children's books.
152	** [[Recap/HomestarRunnerTheHomestarRunnerEntersTheSpookyWoods "The Homestar Runner Enters the Spooky Woods"]] features a few examples, such as "tedioused" and "almost-cussed".
153	* Parodied extensively in on WebAnimation/WelcomeTo in their ''[=Fanfiction.net=]'' episode. Plenty of the "said" substitutions also try (and fail) to verb the nouns.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Webcomics]]
157	* In ''Webcomic/FullFrontalNerdity'', Frank [[http://ffn.nodwick.com/?p=1081 stumbles across a]] FlameWar over this topic while trying to write a novel.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Web Original]]
161	* ''Blog/HowToWriteBadlyWell'' parodies this in [[http://writebadlywell.blogspot.com/2011/08/banish-said-from-your-vocabulary.html "Banish 'said' from your vocabulary."]]
162	* Zigzagged in ''Blog/AliceAndBob'', with attempts at avoiding "said" and then just settling on that word.
163	* ''Website/TheOnion'' ran a brief article where the author of a new book persistently used "shrugged" as every said bookism. When asked about this, said author expressed her indifference with a quick raising of her shoulders.
164	* To quote a [[https://twitter.com/WorstMuse/status/503261940429234176 tweet]] from the Twitter blog ''Blog/WorstMuse'':
165	-->""Said" is so boring. You should bring back "ejaculated.""
166	* Overuse of Said Bookism is a chargeable offense in the [[WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum PPC]]. It can also infect agents, as shown in [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zrWBvhHssGq9kJFF63zCczp90r3VP8YMn8nXROcSsRI/mobilebasic this]] mission.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Real Life]]
170	* Many English classes in both British and American schools specifically require students to write this way, as well as proscribing all use of "be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). It can leave students reaching for a thesaurus, and exchanging saids for other words willy-nilly.
171	* German classes in German-speaking countries tend to go the same route by docking points for repetitive word usage. If you attempt to avert this trope there, chances are you'll end up with a suboptimal grade even if everything else in your essay is perfect.
172	* Played completely straight in Russian, Spanish and French--if you ''don't'' use Said Bookism, you will be considered an okay writer at best.
173	* Czech is also notable in this. Thanks to prefixes and suffixes, Czech verbs tend to be much more precise in their meanings than English ones and it is possible to derive many variations on one word. It is therefore actually a natural feature of the language for them to be used in this way. Using the very broad and simple ''řekl(a)'' ("said") exclusively or very often would not only look boring and unimaginative, but also extremely repetitive. Czech allows using dialogue tags that actually don't have anything to do with the dialogue: if someone, for example, blinks while speaking, you are perfectly in your right to use "blinked" as their dialogue tag. The reason might be that the verb "said" is already implied by the presence of direct speech / quotation marks as such, so the actual verb in the sentence might as well be anything else the character does that accompanies the speech and provides further information about what's happening.
174	[[/folder]]
175

Context Main / SaidBookism