Jimbo wrote:I think it was Elmore Leonard who said to simply write "he said" anytime a character says something and the situation should define how he said it. Goosebumps author R.L. Stine must have never heard Elmore Leonard's advice. I have a bunch of used Goosebumps books leftover from when i had read them to my kid nearly 30 years ago and lately I have been useing them to teach English. Despite the young teen theme level they're actually engaging and fun stories. A problem for my students are the many ways Stine writes, "he said." My students have to deal with how he yelled, sputtered, howled, screamed, moaned, shouted, whispered, croaked, squeaked, squealed, grumbled, mumbled, grunted, and many more other words which mean "said."
I can see both sides of that. I agree with "He said," or "He responded," as most efficient, but for example, if a guy has another guy around the neck, saying something like, "He gasped," can be pretty effective. But that's the art of the writer - deciding when less is more and when more is more.