On the Subject of "Said"...

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I feel like it's better writing not to use 'said' too much, the same with any word. But then if someone is using a different word for 'said' every single time in close succession, I can find it a bit distracting when reading.

Personally, when I'm writing, I generally only use words other than 'said' if something is actually being said differently to just normal speech, not just to avoid using 'said'. Then again, my stories don't tend to have a lot of dialogue. xD