: Re: Describing laughter in dialogue? I'm having a problem that is not addressed by The Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Style Guide I have access to: How does a writer express laughter in fiction?

@Frith254

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Your first example is the best, but I would avoid using "exclaimed" - it's generally better to stick with "said" all the time, as words like "exclaimed" tend to draw attention to themselves and away from the actual dialogue, where the focus should be. I would recommend:

Stu laughed and said "So the bug turns into the robot."

or simply:

Stu laughed. "So the bug turns into the robot."

For the third example, I would avoid "chortling" for the same reason that "exclaimed" is avoided. I would suggest:

Stu was laughing so hard that it was almost impossible to understand him. "So the bug turns into the robot."

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