Elizabeth Brown reviews and anecdotes on Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Good Writing. I agree with the rule using “said” over any other dialogue verb. There’s not much point to using any other word. We say things far more than we affirm, allege, argue, assert, asseverate, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, declare, hold, maintain, state, voice, or vocalize.

Dude, what does asseverate mean? “To declare seriously or positively.”