Saturday, January 28, 2017

fiction - How many times should I use the word "said" in one page?


When writing fiction and dialogue tags, I find myself using the word "said" approximately 1-1.5 times a page (or every 250 words or so), and the word "asked" slightly more.




  • What is (around) the average frequency of the words "said" and "asked" and other common dialogue tags in popular fiction?

  • Is my current rate of said/asked average, below average or above average?

  • Is "said" and "asked" favorable over fancier dialogue tags or should the more elaborate dialogue tags be used more than simple dialogue tags?

  • I realize it all depends on how it's being said and that sometimes elaborate dialogue tags are redundant, but in general what would be recommended?




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