Quotes and attribution
Said
Also: saying verbs
The plain attribution verb. Simon's rule: almost always use "said", because it disappears and lets the quote do the work.
New reporters reach for "exclaimed", "opined", "enthused". Resist. "Said" is invisible, neutral and never wrong, which is exactly why the best writers lean on it. Fancy saying-verbs draw attention to you instead of the speaker, and often smuggle in an opinion. Simon hammered this point, and he was right.
Simon on this
Where Simon Townsend teaches this in the archive: