You want your dialogue to sound natural, like real people talking. But despite your effort, the dialogue still sounds stilted, awkward, and dull. Writing dialogue requires practice.
And there are some ways to think about dialogue to help you write it better.
In this episode, I’m sharing 5 do’s and don’ts of writing better, more absorbing dialogue.
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Episode at a glance:
[02:15] Don’t use dialogue to tell the story. Often writers will have the characters talking about the story, rather than acting it out. Rather than write dialogue aimed at the reader, make it a function of character.
[06:24] Learn how to dig deeper into each character in your scene to make the dialogue feel both realistic and riveting.
[08:45] Don’t try to recreate real life conversation. No mundane chit chat. Instead get to the heart of the conversation sooner. Or launch the scene in the middle of the conversation.
[12:17] Don’t have too many characters talking in a scene. Limit it to two or three. The idea is to think of readers as eavesdropping on a private conversation.
[13:23] No meaningless, extraneous gestures or actions. Think of everything a character does as a response to what’s being said.
[15:10] Include character thought. Whenever we have a conversation with someone, we’re not just talking. We’re thinking about the effect we’re having on the other person. We’re observing and decoding non-verbal cues.
Links mentioned in this episode:
5 Exercises To Master Dialogue
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
One Day by David Nicholls
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