My favorite of the worst dialogue tags? The word “ejaculated” instead of “said.” You’ll find it in older literature, and it always makes me wince/laugh. Example: “Oh god, you can’t be serious!” he ejaculated. I visualize something funny, yet unpleasant, when I read that tag.
If you have to add a dialogue tag, using “said” is okay. You don’t have to use the thesaurus to find replacements so you’ll sound cooler. In the end, you DON’T!
