He said/She said/Said John/John said/ and other saids

[lizbeth]

I used "said" in my novel when necessary, and in all my fiction, when necessary.  Most novels I've read use it also. It makes for seamless dialogue because when you're reading it doesn't interrupt the flow. Your mind kind of skips by that.   I use "said John."   Not "John said."  My novel was edited by a former LR instructor who owns her own editing business and once when I made the error of using "John said" she said not to do that too much.  I don't really, it was just an error. 

But if you are juggling flaming chain saws, say whatever the heck you want!

I agree you CAN overthink this and read so much about the mechanics of writing, it stops you from writing!

[Brandon]

lizbeth, how is "John said" incorrect?  I can understand how "said John" works, but we use he said (which is a form of John said) instead of said he (a form of said John).

Yes I know I'm overthinking this, but I'm just curious on the when and what and where of it all.  Mostly I just try to follow the advice of Pat McManus.  Unless you're writing poetry, anything that stops and makes you think how good the writing is should in fact be left out.  My goal as a writer is to get out of the way and let the story unfold.

[Angelia Almos]

Both saids are correct.

But said NAME is considered to be an older style.

NAME said is the current convention.

[Humi]

uff! british v american! that shall be the death of me :/

i come from a british education system (O'levels Cambridge), was taught english by americans and have been living in the US for a decade or so. my problems went farther from gray or grey...i had to redefine FOOTBALL.

[ann]

Now I am Aussie. It's grey. lol

I think it depends also on what country publishes the book and if it's an English, Australian or American author.
I'm hearin ya winterpk.

I rarely use 'said' and I would never think to start a sentence with John said or He said.

Ann

[MaryR]

Said is always preferable to stuff such as 'he responded' or 'she questioned' or stuffy tags like that.  But they are often overused. The problem is that they are often not necessary.  If we know who is speaking there is no reason to tell the reader that this person is speaking, is there?   And they provide a non-visual pause in the dialogue.  What we need are visual pauses.  Novice writers have trouble with dialogue because they see the scene clearly enough in their mind's eye that they never realize that the readers see nothing and hear only dialogue.   The pause created by 'he said' is often better served by inserting a glimpse of visual action.  Sometimes he said is the most elegant way to identify the speaker, but not nearly as often as most writers use it.  Does it mean you won't get published?  Of course not. You find lots of books overloaded with 'said tags out there.  What does it mean?  Well, if you're looking for sales the better the writing is, the more completely you immerse your readers in your world, the more likely those readers are to sing your praises to all their facebook friends.   

Don't overuse action tags. They can over clutter a scene if you get carried away.  We don't need a tag after every dialogue line!  But use them to keep a vivid visual scene in every reader's minds eye and you'll really increase the power of your dialogue. 

Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor

[Brandon]

Well, I wrote an article recently where I decided I would stick with the e spelling. (It's just looks more... right).  Anyway, when the article's published, we'll see if the editor keeps it that way.