Here are some simple tips for sprinkling non-verbal action tags (e.g. [laughs], [coughs]) into your dialogue or prose:
Use sparingly
• One or two per scene is usually enough.
• Don’t let tags crowd the flow—use them to punctuate key moments.
Keep the form consistent
• Always bracket the action: [laughs], [sighs], [coughs].
• Use present-tense, third-person singular verbs.
Place tags for clarity
• Insert immediately before or after dialogue to cue tone:
– “Well, that was… surprising,” she says [laughs].
– [coughs] “Excuse me—could you repeat that?”
• If a tag interrupts a long sentence, set it off with commas.
Let tags enhance emotion, not replace description
• Use them alongside—or instead of—adverbs sparingly.
• Don’t write [laughs] every time a character chuckles; reserve it for when the laugh itself matters.
Match tag choice to the moment
• [clears throat] before something awkward.
• [shrugs] to show indifference.
• [eyes widen] when surprised.
Read it out loud
• Tags should feel natural in speech.
• If it sounds stilted, trim or rephrase.
Examples in context:
• “I won the race,” he says [grins].
• [sighs] “I really didn’t want to do that.”
• “Trust me,” she whispers [lowers voice].