An excerpt from:

FROM SPARK TO STORY: Using Editorial Eyes to Draft, Revise, and Turn Your Book Idea Into a Full-Blown Novel

Dialogue tags are misused ALL the time. It’s okay. You probably didn’t learn all of these in school, and if you did, what are the chances of your brain holding onto this amongst giant-sized Cokes and emotional-support dogs? Buckle up, because we’re about to give you the brief down and dirty on how to get them right.

A dialogue tag is – said, explained, screamed, c...