: Re: 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

Text analysis of some standard Gutenberg texts using Mathematica:

100N[Count[#,"said"]/Length@#]&@Quiet@Flatten[#[[1]]&@(ToLowerCase/@DeleteCases[StringSplit@StringReplace[#,Except[Join["A"~CharacterRange~"Z","a"~CharacterRange~"z"]]->" "]," "])&@#&/@StringSplit[#,"' "]]&@Import@#&@"http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/580/pg580.txt"

to calculate the percentage of said in words immediately following closing quotation marks:

Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens: 43%
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll: 45%
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen: 45%

said takes up over 50% of words immediately following closing quotation marks in Harry Potter. Below is a selection of those that are verbs, in case you are in need of inspiration for the remaining 50% (in order of frequency):

said,asked,whispered,muttered,added,shouted,yelled,called,repeated,began,
bellowed,hissed,continued,snapped,gasped,roared,snarled,demanded,mumbled,
pointed,sighed,cried,growled,screamed,murmured,explained,suggested,moaned,
squeaked,breathed,replied,croaked,interrupted,barked,thought,spat,reminded,
grunted,corrected,sneered,pressed,groaned,choked,urged,shot,hesitated,
sobbed,burst,stared,stared,stammered,smiled,informed,indicated,blurted,
admitted,started,shrugged,agreed,advised,waved,warned,squealed,spluttered,
retorted,mouthed,swallowed,persisted,yawned,wailed,thundered,laughed,
gestured,boomed,wondered,whimpered,wheezed,wheezed,screeched,recited,
peered,howled,giggled,cleared,smirked,puffed,pleaded,ordered,nodded,jeered,
exclaimed,enquired,drawled,consulted,begged,answered,announced,yelped,
worried,translated,shuddered,scowled,resumed,remembered,reeled,protested,
prompted,observed,leered,jabbed,invented,interjected,imitated,ignored,
hastened,grinned,faltered,exploded,coughed,contradicted,concluded,clapped,
chuckled,chortled,chanted,wrote,wounded,winked,whined,trilled,swore,stormed,
stifled,stated,snorted,shivered,scrawled,reassured,quoted,promised,pouted,
persevered,instructed,gulped,grumbled,grimaced,frowned,found,faded,erupted,
encouraged,echoed,dismissed,decided,dashed,crooned,convinced,confessed,
commanded,burped,blustered,beckoned,beamed,bawled,appealed

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: How long can a first novel be? I am writing my first novel, which has gathered about 150000 words. I guess it will be around 170-180k words when it is finished. Assuming that it will loose

@Miguel976

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: Self-publishing / marketing children's book I have wanted for some time now to write and illustrate a children's book. How realistic is it to self publish? I have no business background in this

@Miguel976

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: I pretend that someone else wrote the first draft and it's my job to fix it. That gives me the emotional distance I need. Probably because I like to point out where other people went wrong.

@Miguel976

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: Can I publish a book anonymously to protect the real people my non-fiction book is about? I'm in the process of writing a life story/non-fiction book that has numerous real life issues and

: Re: 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

More posts by @Miguel976

: How long can a first novel be? I am writing my first novel, which has gathered about 150000 words. I guess it will be around 170-180k words when it is finished. Assuming that it will loose

: Self-publishing / marketing children's book I have wanted for some time now to write and illustrate a children's book. How realistic is it to self publish? I have no business background in this

: I pretend that someone else wrote the first draft and it's my job to fix it. That gives me the emotional distance I need. Probably because I like to point out where other people went wrong.

: Can I publish a book anonymously to protect the real people my non-fiction book is about? I'm in the process of writing a life story/non-fiction book that has numerous real life issues and

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