X said or said X

The only reason to use one or the other is how it affects the flow. Try reading your stuff out loud. That really helps.

The former, because then you don't have to switch when you're using he/she. Susan said, she said, he said. You wouldn't write 'said she'.
But it doesn't really matter.

Yeah you would, if that's what fits.

Ok then, I will be clearer. It's unusual for someone to write 'said she', it's uncommon in modern books and in the majority of books it would be quite jarring for the reader, in my opinion. Not that it's wrong, but it's unlikely someone would use it.

Again, agree with mirandashell. Use what fits, works, is appropriate, flows...

It's not at all unusual. Philip Pullman, for one, uses both variations as appropriate in the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Actually it's more common than you think. It's just that your eye tends to skip over the word 'said'. I'm not saying it is used all the time but it is used.

I knew I had commented on this issue before, so I dug it up:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8780312#post8780312

The "said X"/"X said" issue starts with post 55 and kind of meanders on from there.

There's also this thread I had linked to in the aforementioned thread:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-254401.html

My opinion was that "X said" is more invisible than "said X", with the latter sounding more formal and archaic. "Said X" works in young children's books, I think. In adult writing, I'd use it sparingly.

My eye skips over the word 'said', but not the word order. I would personally notice 'said she', and find it out of place. But then perhaps I read the wrong books. I have seen it, but I remember noticing it as unusual at the time. I'm sure it's far more common in certain genres than others.
'Susan said, said Susan' are far more easily interchangeable in my opinion/experience than 'she said, said she'.

So basically..... you use it if it works?

said she? said he?

You are nit-picking.

StromMy eye skips over the word 'said', but not the word order. I would personally notice 'said she', and find it out of place. But then perhaps I read the wrong books. I have seen it, but I remember noticing it as unusual at the time. I'm sure it's far more common in certain genres than others.
'Susan said, said Susan' are far more easily interchangeable in my opinion/experience than 'she said, said she'.

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Bufty said:

said she? said he?

You are nit-picking.

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I'm nit-picking, Bufty? In what way?
It wasn't my intention.

All I intended to do was respond to the OP's question of which I would use personally. I, personally, would generally use 'X said', because then 's/he said' follows the same 'rule'. I wouldn't use 'said s/he' personally. Please note I have stated that I don't think it's wrong, just that it comes across as out-of-place for me personally.
Why is that nit-picking? OP asked for opinions.

If I'm starting with the attribution, then I have "Susan said, 'That's not so unusual.'" But when I write it after, it'll depend on nothing more than which I'm in the mood for at that particular time, X said or said X. I have no preference to one over the other.

I've asked this question in several forums. I've gotten three types of answers:

1. use "she said".
2. Doesn't matter.
3. People who say #1 are nit-picking.

Based on this, I went through my WIP and got rid of all "said she". Why take chances?

Granted, this is probably a self-fulfilling prophesy, where removing it will make it less common, therefore more jarring, therefore less acceptable, etc. But it's the same number of letters either way, so I don't have to pay for extra bits.

I'd use "X said." It sounds more natural to me because that's the way people talk. I've never heard anyone use the "said X" form in everyday life.

Doesn't it depend on if you're writing an everyday book?

@Miranda- Yes, that's true. "Said X" does sounds right to me if it's a fairy tale, for example.

'Said she' or 'said he' are the least common of all the variants so to pick on them as illustrations is misleading.

'Said X' or 'X said' implies X is there to indicate any character's name, and neither variant is uncommon at all.

If you are writing a children's book, maybe use "said he."

It seems very Fairy Tale, Kiddie book to me to do it that way. A bit too rhyme-y.

"Said he" sounds very childlike, to me, which is probably why it's primarily used in children's books and fairy tales. Pick up a dozen novels lying about your house, or look at a dozen digital novels. Bet all of them used "he said".

Bufty said:

'Said she' or 'said he' are the least common of all the variants so to pick on them as illustrations is misleading.

'Said X' or 'X said' implies X is there to indicate any character's name, and neither variant is uncommon at all.

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I said that I personally like to use one rule where possible, so I use 'X said' rather than 'said X' because I will also be using he/she and will therefore be using 'he said' rather than 'said he'. I don't see how that's misleading.

When writing most books you're going to be required to use 'he/she/I' as well as a character name fairly regularly, so I don't think it's irrelevant either.

I don't think 'said X' is uncommon, but some people do think it's more noticeable and possibly limited to certain genres. As illustrated by others on this thread.

But the thread does keep circling back to 'use whichever is appropriate' which is what we said at the start......

Do what sounds right to your own ear, said I.

mirandashell said:

But the thread does keep circling back to 'use whichever is appropriate' which is what we said at the start......

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Sure, but how do you know if it's appropriate? It's usually best to do things like this the same way the great majority of published writers do it.

I wonder if 'said she' use to be more common in old adult novels or if it was always a more fairy tale voice format...