john_amend_all (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
john_amend_all) wrote2013-11-30 12:32 am
john_amend_all) wrote2013-11-30 12:32 am
Entry tags:
Said-book-isms meme
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clocketpatch:
Roughly: Analyse some of your old fic, and some of your recent fic, to see how much dialogue is indicated by various tags ('said', 'yelled' etc.) and how much is indicated by context or other cues.
'Holding the Baby' (2007, 1048 words)
| - | 7 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| said | 4 | ▒▒▒▒ |
| replied | 3 | ▒▒▒ |
| added | 1 | ▒ |
| began | 1 | ▒ |
| called | 1 | ▒ |
| mumbled | 1 | ▒ |
Amusingly, all the instances of 'said' are for speeches by Izzy; the other characters use only said-bookisms or context.
'Extra-Curricular Activity' (2008, 12075 words)
| - | 130 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| said | 61 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| asked | 24 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| replied | 8 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| began | 5 | ▒▒▒▒▒ |
| continued | 4 | ▒▒▒▒ |
| added | 3 | ▒▒▒ |
| called | 3 | ▒▒▒ |
| concluded | 2 | ▒▒ |
| gasped | 2 | ▒▒ |
| agreed | 1 | ▒ |
| broke in | 1 | ▒ |
| compromised | 1 | ▒ |
| dictated | 1 | ▒ |
| explained | 1 | ▒ |
| managed | 1 | ▒ |
| muttered | 1 | ▒ |
| persisted | 1 | ▒ |
| shouted | 1 | ▒ |
| resumed | 1 | ▒ |
| wailed | 1 | ▒ |
| whispered | 1 | ▒ |
'Sudden Flame' (2013, 6205 words)
| - | 131 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| said | 52 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| asked | 18 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| replied | 6 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| began | 3 | ▒▒▒ |
| added | 2 | ▒▒ |
| protested | 2 | ▒▒ |
| suggested | 2 | ▒▒ |
| admitted | 1 | ▒ |
| broke in | 1 | ▒ |
| called | 1 | ▒ |
| complained | 1 | ▒ |
| continued | 1 | ▒ |
| demanded | 1 | ▒ |
| gasped | 1 | ▒ |
| grumbled | 1 | ▒ |
| murmured | 1 | ▒ |
| muttered | 1 | ▒ |
| pointed out | 1 | ▒ |
| reflected | 1 | ▒ |
| remarked | 1 | ▒ |
| retorted | 1 | ▒ |
| shouted | 1 | ▒ |
| snapped | 1 | ▒ |
| whispered | 1 | ▒ |
'Wedding Day' (2013, 1292 words)
| - | 10 | ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ |
| asked | 3 | ▒▒▒ |
| said | 3 | ▒▒▒ |
| began | 2 | ▒▒ |
| managed | 1 | ▒ |
Thoughts
- The short fics aren't too useful here because they don't provide enough data to smooth out local variations. On the plus side, it's a lot easier to count the lines of speech.
- My preferences don't seem to have changed much: in both the 2008 fic and the 2013, over 50% of speech is tagged by context, 24% by 'said'. The top five (none, said, asked, replied, began) both sum to 90%, give or take a percentage point.
- If I'm writing a two-handed dialogue and the characters aren't actually completely immobile, I try to get away without using dialogue tags at all. If, on the other hand, Jamie's Angels are having one of their usual six-way arguments while handcuffed to a maypole, they're going to need all the said-book-isms they can get.
- I haven't had a character ejaculate once, not even a Dalek. Most remiss of me.
This entry was originally posted at http://john-amend-all.dreamwidth.org/79090.html. Feel free to comment there or here.