In my Writer’s Mind class last semester, my professor went over several things to avoid at all costs while writing. Do not use adverbs; always use the active voice, etc. In many circumstances I agree with these practices.
However, there was one suggestion that my professor made that I am not sure if I agree with. She asserted that when writing dialogue only to use “he said” or “she said” to denote who is speaking. She claimed that most readers just skip over that part and that using stronger verbs like “he shouted” is actually distracting.
I never heard this before, and while I sort of see where her point could make sense I’m not sure that can be said as an absolute. A character saying words and a character whispering them can paint completely different images in a reader’s head. Any opinions on this?
The Creators' Conscience 
Nicole said
I completely agree with you. The tone in a character’s voice, and whether or not they shouted or whispered something greatly affects the entire mood of the piece. That’s strange that she feels that way…I guess I can see where she is coming from, but I think simply saying he said / she said kind of flattens a piece of writing. Who knows…good blog!
peters57 said
Yeah, I hate reading stories that only say “he said/she said”. It’s just boring!