Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue... I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.

I don't want the reader to be aware of me as the writer.

Skip the boring parts.

I spent most of my dough on booze, broads and boats and the rest I wasted.

Never use a verb other than ‘said’ to carry dialogue.

My characters have to talk, or they're out. They audition in early scenes. If they can't talk, they're given less to do, or thrown out.

Bad guys are not bad guys twenty-four hours a day.