Rookwood Editing"he intoned, offering his opinion" —> "said"
I beg you. I will fall to my knees. Please just use "said."
"Deep-seeded" —> "deep-seated"
This one always catches me out. I think that both versions make a lot of sense, but the correct phrase is "seated", not "seeded."
"vocal chords" —> "vocal cords"
One could make chords with vocal cords, but they are not chords themselves!
An evergreen #EditingProTip:
"What do you mean?" he ...
- questioned —> asked
- queried —> asked
- inquired —> asked
- demanded —> asked
"I'm leaving!" she ...
- bit back —> said
- answered —> said
- blurted —> said
- ground out —> said
#Writing #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #AmEditing
https://www.rookwoodediting.com/2021/01/just-use-said-on-speech-tags/
An addendum to the above #EditingProTip: Shaking one's head can have a lot of different meanings. In some cultures, shaking one's head doesn't mean no. We also shake our heads to clear our thoughts, wake ourselves up, etc.
However, if the context is:
—"Do you want to come with me?"
—They shook their head.
then it's clear what you mean without "They shook their head no."