Keep dialogue tags simple from "summary" of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition by Renni Browne,Dave King
The simpler your dialogue tags, the better. "Said" and "asked" are usually the only ones you need. If your dialogue is written well, your reader should be able to tell how it's being said without you telling them. If you really need to add more information, keep it as unobtrusive as possible. The dialogue itself should be doing most of the work. You don't want your reader to be distracted by your tags. The more you draw attention to them, the less natural your dialogue will sound. Avoid tags with adverbs. If you find yourself writing something like "he said, angrily," it's a sign that your dialogue itself isn't strong enough. The tag is doing too much of the work. You're better off revising the dialogue so that it conveys the anger without any help. Adverbs in dialogue tags are a form of telling ...
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