Here are some simple tips for sprinkling non-verbal action tags (e.g. [laughs], [coughs]) into your dialogue or prose:

1. Use sparingly
   • One or two per scene is usually enough.
   • Don’t let tags crowd the flow—use them to punctuate key moments.

2. Keep the form consistent
   • Always bracket the action: [laughs], [sighs], [coughs].
   • Use present-tense, third-person singular verbs.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Match tag choice to the moment
   • [clears throat] before something awkward.
   • [shrugs] to show indifference. • [eyes widen] when surprised.

6. 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].