: Re: Why is there such strong objection to the use of said-bookisms? I am surprised by the vehemence of many writers' objection to said-bookisms -- the practice of using a verb other than "said"

@Radia543

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You are specifically asking about the objection to bookisms. It's certainly en vogue for the last twenty years or so to eliminate bookisms. I'm older, so perhaps I'm stubborn in my efforts to responsibly use them. Here are some of the arguments I've heard:

It slows readers down by bringing attention to the dialogue tag rather than the dialogue. But consider the example Josh said, "Look out for that truck!" What the reader "hears" is Look out for that TRUCK. However, if you write Josh screamed, "Look out for that truck!" then the reader hears LOOK OUT FOR THAT TRUCK which more approximates what the writer wants.
Readers don't notice the monotony of said. This is a good point. But agents and editors will tell you to make every word count. If you use said 500 times in a 80,000 word novel ...
Writers can't find commercial success with bookisms. David Baldacci wrote 10 straight bestsellers. 10 straight! 6 were number 1s. One of the differences? That's right, more bookisms in the number 1s. It gives the word said an adverbial quality, heightening the suspense when done right.
When done right? How are we as writers to know. It's just easier to use said. Any serious attempt at a commercial publication should include a beta reader group. There is ALWAYS someone in a writers' group who's a bookism hound. If the hound doesn't notice, the rabbit is pretty safe.
It's time-consuming to consider your dialogue tags. Yeah, but it's more time consuming when your book sucks, and you have to start over. You should be considering every word and rearranging sentences to avoid tags a good percentage of the time.

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