John said or said John?

[Terrence OBrien]

Read it aloud. Use the option that sounds best.

[michaelabayomi]

I always wondered about this. I used to think it was one of those American English versus British English dilemmas. I think both forms work, even though I personally only use John said.

[Dallas Haley]

Some of you have kick a@# covers by the way. Nicely done. 

[dgaughran]

I try and minimize dialogue tags, but I don't take it to the extreme of someone like Mike Stackpole, who never uses them. When I do use them, I will vary depending on rhythm (or to vary the rhythm). I seem to tend towards "said John", but then I do write historical fiction (where everyone sounds pretentious.

Lord Swiverley clapped his hands. "Bring me my cape!" A minion scurried from the hall.

Count Lettuceback sighed. "It's so hard to get good servants these days."

"Especially at the rate you murder them at," said Baron von Winkelbottom III.

(Group guffaw.)

[JRTomlin]

My preference is to actually use neither. I think the word "said" is basically redundant... that's what the quotes are for, right? To indicate speech?

No. Quotes cannot attribute speech and that is the purpose of a dialogue tag.

I use a lot of beats and action tags, but those can be overdone so that you have your characters twitching and hopping around like a jackrabbit. It is never necessary, though, to use both a dialogue tag and a beat.

When I use a dialogue tag, I always make it "John said" because it seems a bit weird to me to put the verb before the subject unless you're asking a question. I wouldn't use, "Walked I to town." That's just how I feel about it.

Edit: My historical characters are not particularly pretentious. That is, I do not assume that people in history were necessarily more pretentious than people now. Some were. Some weren't. Mostly they have more important things to do such as killing each other.  

[Rebecca Burke]

I don't think many American editors like to see "said John" these days (in the event you can't avoid using a dialogue tag in the first place). Like other commenters point out, it's considered a bit archaic.

However, I notice that some of my favorite British authors are still using it. It's true, sometimes when you're writing that rhythm feels slightly better. HOWEVER (!), if your story is moving as fast as it should be moving, the reader shouldn't notice your dialogue tags at all other than registering the name attached.

[SallyWGrotta]

I feel it has to do with the rhythm of the sentences that surround it, which would sound better. When I'm uncertain, I read the section aloud to myself.

[Sean Patrick Fox]

My preference is to actually use neither. I think the word "said" is basically redundant... that's what the quotes are for, right? To indicate speech? It also describes nothing, really. Plain boring old speaking. If I do use a "speaking word", I usually go well out of my way to give it more energy. I use something like shouted, or murmured, or mumbled, or cried, or shrieked or hissed or snapped or... etc etc.

In general, though, I tend to have the person who's about to speak act right before they do. Something like... (disclaimer: This isn't an except, it's just something I made up "on the fly")

---

Liao gestured towards the monitor. "Are we sure we can hit them at this distance?"

Jiang gripped her console a little tighter, nodding her head. "Absolutely certain, Captain. There's just no way they can activate countermeasures in time."

"Good. Make it happen."

"Aye aye, Captain... missiles away!"

---

I much prefer this to adding 'said' to every sentence. Note that, sometimes, it makes multi-person conversations difficult to write because it can be unclear who says what. At those points you have to be a lot more clear, especially if there's a lot of action going on at once. It's harder, but more effective, I think.

That's just my style anyway.

I understand what you're saying, and agree to a point, but it's not always possible or preferable. I don't use dialogue tags for every sentence of dialogue, but you have to achieve a fine balance of letting the story flow while not making the reader have to guess who's speaking. Dialogue tags aren't as important the further into a book or a series you are (theoretically), because readers will have picked up at least a little bit on how people talk, what they're likely to say, etc. But to not use any dialogue tags? That is both impressive and a little off-putting.

[David Adams]

Hehe, I don't never never use them, and when I get home from work I'll do a quick search for "said" to see just how many times I used it in Lacuna (I estimate twice), but it is my preference to never use them given given alternatives... especially, as I said (heh), things with more context. Hiss, spat, shouted, offered, grunted, murmured, etc. "Said" just seems, to me, like the most basic, emotionless word I can think of... that's all. It's just so redundant that I do think, in almost all cases, there's a better word just waiting there to be used.

[MichaelWallace]

Hehe, I don't never never use them, and when I get home from work I'll do a quick search for "said" to see just how many times I used it in Lacuna (I estimate twice), but it is my preference to never use them given given alternatives... especially, as I said (heh), things with more context. Hiss, spat, shouted, offered, grunted, murmured, etc. "Said" just seems, to me, like the most basic, emotionless word I can think of... that's all. It's just so redundant that I do think, in almost all cases, there's a better word just waiting there to be used.

But said is like a period or a comma, in that it's practically invisible. Hissed, spat, shouted, offered, grunted, murmured, etc., draw attention to themselves. Like an exclamation point or a semicolon, they should be used rarely.

[David Adams]

But said is like a period or a comma, in that it's practically invisible. Hissed, spat, shouted, offered, grunted, murmured, etc., draw attention to themselves. Like an exclamation point or a semicolon, they should be used rarely.

Which is why I use them rarely. And "said" almost never.

Edit:

Oh geez. I just had My Immortal flashbacks...

"Hi," I said sexily.

"Hi," Draco roared shyly.

::shiver::

[mgohearn]

I find myself using both "John said" and "said John," but since I'm writing stories set in the Thirties or Forties, the fact that "said John" looks a little old-fashioned is a help, not a hindrance.

I do sneak in a little modernity by leaving out the attributions when possible. And I keep away from the more colorful substitutes for "said." I don't want to be subjected to people gritting, undertoning, vouchsafing, or, heaven save us, quipping, so I try to provide the same courtesy.

Words not quite so idiosyncratic can go bad, too. As a reader I've been pulled up short by things like:

"Track him down and kill him," the villain hissed.

[Rick Gualtieri]

Read it aloud. Use the option that sounds best.

Exactly! When in doubt say it aloud. Outside of a professional editor, it's probably the best way to catch clunky sentences.