3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But said is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied. I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading to get the dictionary. (Asservate means to declare positively)
It took me a while to learn this. And I'm sure I've made some verb errors since I did not know it. But that's pretty black and white. If Leonard says "don't do it" then it's a pretty good idea to follow.
Melody Scott | www.MelodyScott.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melody-Scott-Maria-Sebastian-Mysteries/613368955362456
