Writing Style

I was indeed writing in the present tense. I don't do it often, but this was a feature in which the present made more sense.

Otherwise...I know I know I know. The original last line was "Then she laughed." Which was meaningful, in context. "She laughs," as an attribution, was, very obviously, not.

 

You can try telling my last editor that. Before I left, the paper was sans that junk. Now, everyone laughs and smiles; but no one says a damn thing.

 

Point well taken.

 

Don't be hatin' on said.

 

I'm a lover not a fighter. Same goes for hatin'

 

Especially if you're a greenhorn, you'd better use "said" and ONLY "said." If you use "stated," "explained," etc. I'm going to do my best impression of a crotchety old editor and get you for it.

If you've been around for a while, I'll give you more leeway.

 

I read the Bradford Era (Pa.) last prep football season, and again during the soccer season. Every quote was attributed in a different way (said, exclaimed, noted, stated, explained, recalled ...), and I did nothing but hold back vomit.

 

Said still works perfectly more than 95 percent of the time, though.

 

My favorite is "giggled" .. barf.

 

Sirs, Madames,

You could use "he laughs" anytime you quote Jason Spezza -- he has the nervous mannerism, somewhere between Valley Girl-ish and Mr Ed-esque. As for it being incoherent, well, almost. You lose the last word or two.

YHS, etc

 

"'I figured sooner or later I'd hit a home run,' and 'this teams always has a chance' are lame quotes, no matter where they are in a story," Cook opined.

 

Interesting thread.

I don't mind ending a story with "he said," if that's appropriate.

I do recall a sports editor jabbing me with praise for a story but saying that it didn't have an ending. He was right.

I had given up and let it go and used all the usual excuses (they'd probably cut it anyway). But the bottom line was that I had a good story and didn't have a good ending and my boss noticed.

I never forgot that.