author and triathleteUse of "Said" and Synonyms in Chapter Twenty-three of The Princess and the Hound
I picked this chapter because it is one in which a lot of dialog happens, and then I went through to see how many differents words for "said" were used.
nothing (or an action attribution)--22
said--15
asked--3
prodded--1
This is about what I expected. I think that my earlier writing in Mira, Mirror reflected more liberal use of said-bookisms, but not really overboard. In The Princess and the Hound I used less, and my editor was also more rigorous about taking out those that could be replaced with "said."
Go here to see the results from a chapter in Mira, Mirror.