Did you hear the one about the guy who walks into a psychiatrist office and starts screaming, "I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee!!!" The psychiatrist takes one look at him and says, "You need to relax, you're two tents!!"

I relay that joke because as a writer I often find myself getting a little stressed out about which tense is appropriate. I encourage you to read the following column from the Poynter Institute's web page regarding "Says vs. Said" dialogue tags.

Ask Chip: Says vs. Said