As writers, we should always be striving to diversify our language. Replacing the word "said" with a few alternatives every once in a while gives your readers a fuller picture of your characters' emotions.
:bulletblue: Synonyms for "said" in a dialogue. "I miss my horse," she said.
Admitted, stated, announced, remarked, observed, insisted, mentioned, commented, noted, replied, responded, answered, asked, whispered, murmured, mumbled, shouted, cried. Less Modern: Declared.
:bulletgreen: Synonyms for "said" the rest of the time. "You said that you know my father?"
Claim, maintain, contend, mention.
How to Improve Your Writing Style by illuminara, literature
Literature
How to Improve Your Writing Style
While I’ve written articles about writing style in the past, they were designed mostly to define what style is and didn’t provide much help for improvement. This article contains some practical tips I’ve discovered that will actually help you improve your style and hopefully provide a foundation for why good style matters. I believe good style is important for many reasons, but mostly because I want my readers to feel like the time they spent with my story was worthwhile, pleasant, and maybe even a little enlightening.
“All readers come to fiction as willing accomplices to your lies. Such is the basic goodwill contrac