For the argument about 'said', I'd like to share an excerpt from a How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Middlemark and Sandra Newman:


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Published authors use the word 'said' almost exclusively when they wish to indicate that a particular character is saying something. 'Said' is a convention so firmly established that readers for the most part do not even see it. This helps to make the dialogue realistic by keeping its structure invisible.

Many unpublished authors, however, become uncomfortable with the repetition of the word 'said' and try to improve the technology of dialogue by substituting any verb that has ever been associated with speech or language.

A particularly egregious version of this occurs when an author conflates a stage direction with the desire to avoid the word 'said' and instead writing, [i]"You and what army," he said, thrusting out his jaw[/i] or [i]he asked, quirking a brow,[/i] produces something like [i]"Hello," he thrusted[/i] or [i]"Are you going to finish that?" he quirked[/i].

The only thing any of this does, though, is draw attention to the unconventional verb, which reminds the reader that there is an author, who is struggling mightily to avoid the word 'said'.

There are of course exceptions: 'asked' is used for questions, 'shouted' is used for a character who is doing so, and there will occasionally be a goof reason to use a word other than 'said' for plain speech. But spicing things up with 'importuned', 'vociferated' or 'clamored' will sabotage any attempt to make conversation sound real.
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[quote=@Vilageidiotx]
It is good to practice not overusing words, [i]said[/i] included, but [i]said[/i] does have its place. If somebody says something in a normal way, or in a way that isn't worth drawing attention to, and you still need to specify who is speaking, then [i]said[/i] has its place. What you want to do is mix up sentence structure so that you don't fall into a monotonous pattern. Also, it is a good idea to drop the speaker indicator when you can. And, of course, it's always good to be descriptive, and a good descriptive dialogue indicators can set the tone for the rest of the conversation so that you no longer need them.
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As someone who loves writing and slaving over dialogue, I also agree with this.