repeat – Best Chance Media

By Jennifer Braddock – Editor

Ever feel like your characters are trapped in an eternal tennis match of “he said” / “she said”? You can almost hear the ball bouncing:

“I’m leaving,” she said.
“No, you’re not,” he said.
“Yes, I am,” she said.

Yawn. Your readers didn’t sign up for a hostage situation with repetitive dialogue tags. Let’s break them out. Your mission is to hunt down those tired, overused words in your manuscript. If you choose to accept it, replace them with fresher, more engaging options. By the time we’re done, your dialogue will sparkle. Your pacing will pick up. Your beta readers will stop glazing over halfway through a page.

Step 1: Identify the Repeat Offenders

We all have comfort words we don’t even notice we’re using. Common culprits:

Said/replied / asked (every third line in dialogue)
Filler verbs: looked, turned, walked, sat, smiled, nodded
Filters: thought, realized, noticed, felt
Intensifiers: very, really, quite, suddenly

Step 2: Make Dialogue Do the Heavy Lifting

Instead of relying on endless “he said” tags, you can:

Use action beats: “I’m leaving.” Mara shoved her keys into her pocket.
Use body language: “You think I care?” Sam crossed his arms and stared at the floor.
Let the voice carry the tone: If the dialogue itself is distinctive, you can often skip the tag entirely.

Step 3: Search and Replace With Purpose

Find each overused word.
Decide if it’s needed — many can be cut.
Replace with a synonym only if it feels natural. For example:
“Said” could become “muttered,” “shouted,” “whispered,” or “teased.” Do not go overboard. Otherwise, you’ll end up sounding like a bad thesaurus.
Read aloud — if the replacement sounds forced, try rewriting the sentence instead of swapping the word.

Step 4: Keep a Repeat Word List

Make a running list of the words you overuse. For example, if “just” appears 437 times, maybe 420 of them can go.

Step 5: Turn Editing Into a Game

Set a timer for 20 minutes. Each time you find and fix a repetitive word, tally a point. Reward yourself with chocolate, coffee, or smug satisfaction when you beat yesterday’s score.

50 Overused Words & Phrases to Hunt in Your Manuscript

Dialogue tags:

Said
Asked
Replied
Answered

Filler verbs:
5. Looked
6. Turned
7. Walked
8. Went
9. Came
10. Sat
11. Stood
12. Gave
13. Got
14. Took
15. Made

Filter words (create distance from POV):
16. Thought
17. Felt
18. Knew
19. Realized
20. Noticed
21. Saw
22. Heard
23. Decided

Weak modifiers & intensifiers:
24. Very
25. Really
26. Just
27. Quite
28. Almost
29. Nearly
30. Suddenly
31. A little
32. A bit
33. Kind of / sort of

Overused reactions:
34. Smiled
35. Laughed
36. Nodded
37. Shook head
38. Sighed
39. Frowned
40. Raised eyebrows
41. Rolled eyes

Time/transition crutches:
42. Then
43. After
44. Before
45. While
46. When
47. As
48. Again
49. Suddenly
50. Finally

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✏️ Ever feel like your manuscript is stuck in a loop of “he said” / “she said”?
🙉 Your readers do, too. 🚀 Spice up your dialogue with action beats, body language, and voice, not just recycled tags.💡 Pro tip: Use your word processor’s “Find” tool to hunt down overused words and set your characters free! #WritingTips #AmEditing #WritersLife #IndieAuthor #WritingCommunity #DialogueTips #EditingHacks #AuthorLife #FictionWriting #WIP #WritersOfInstagram https://bestchancemedia.org/2025/10/02/if-i-read-he-said-one-more-time-ill-scream-she-said/