14 Fundamentals of Writing Dialogue
Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, knowing how to craft dialogue is an important skill to have.
Dialogue is a crucial element of any work of fiction and creative nonfiction. It breathes life into characters, moves the plot forward, and engages readers. Crafting effective dialogue that resonates with readers, however, is one of the nuances that make your writing more authentic. Here are fourteen essential tips for writing dialogue that will help add more depth to your story.
8 Basic Fundamentals of Writing Dialogue
1. Use Quotation Marks
When writing dialogue, the first rule you need to follow is to enclose all of your characters’ spoken words in quotation marks. This simple punctuation rule helps readers distinguish between narrative and dialogue, which helps add clarity and enhance the smooth flow of your story.
2. Start a New Paragraph Every Time the Speaker Changes
The second basic rule of writing dialogue is to start a new paragraph each time a different character speaks. This helps the reader track who is speaking and allows for easier readability. It also helps to create a visual distinction between each character's dialogue, making the conversation more organized and understandable.
3. Use Dialogue to Move Your Story Forward
Every line of dialogue should serve a purpose. Use it to reveal character traits, advance your plot, or create tension. Effective dialogue doesn’t just fill space; it should advance your story in ways narrative cannot.
4. Character Dialogue Shouldn’t All Sound the Same
Each character should have a unique voice that reflects their personality, background, and motivations. Be sure to give characters individual speech patterns, vocabulary, and rhythms to ensure your dialogue is distinct and authentic.
5. Keep Language Concise
While natural conversations can meander, dialogue in a book needs to be focused. Trim unnecessary words and keep the exchanges to only what is necessary. Keep the balance between what’s authentic and what’s purposeful.
6. Vary the Length to Avoid a Matchy-Matchy Format
Avoid uniformity when it comes to the length of your dialogue. Just as real conversations have ebbs and flows, you’ll want to vary the length of dialogue exchanges to add a natural rhythm and prevent a repetitive, artificial feel.
7. Observe How People Speak in Real Life
Take time to listen to how people speak in real life. This will help you create authentic dialogue. Pay special attention to the interruptions, pauses, and colloquialisms that make conversations more genuine. Incorporating these elements will make your characters' dialogue more relatable and believable.
8. Don’t Let Dialogue Ramble for Pages
Long, uninterrupted dialogue can become tiresome for readers. So, it’s important to break up extended conversations with actions, internal thoughts, or descriptive narratives to maintain your pacing.
6 Advanced Fundamentals of Writing Dialogue
1. Keep Dialogue Tags Simple
Dialogue tags such as "said," "asked," or “replied” are sufficient in most cases. Simple tags keep the reader's attention where it belongs—on the characters' words and emotions. Whereas overly complicated or creative tags can distract readers and take the focus away from the dialogue.
❌ What to Avoid
“You’re going to get sunburnt if you don’t apply sunscreen,” Lisa frowned.
✅ How to Get it Right
“You’re going to get sunburnt if you don’t apply sunscreen,” Lisa said as she frowned at the thought of her daughter getting a horrible sunburn on the first day of vacation.
The Why
Characters can’t frown, smile, laugh, or cry words. Sure, they can frown, smile, laugh, or cry as they speak, but that isn’t the action of speaking. So, remember to use simple dialogue tags like “said” or “asked” and build more descriptive sentences around the dialogue to show the characters’ actions.
2. Avoid Using Dialogue for Pleasantries
Unless pleasantries specifically reveal a character's traits or advance the plot, it’s best to avoid them. Idle chit-chat can slow the narrative pace and dilute the impact of meaningful exchanges.
❌ What to Avoid
“How’s your day?”
“Did you see the weather?”
“Hi, how are you?”
“How’s life?”
3. Characters Shouldn’t Use Dialogue to Say Something the Other Person Already Knows
Avoid dialogue that only serves to convey information that both characters already know. Your dialogue needs to reveal new information to the characters and your readers. Newer writers tend to use dialogue to sneak in backstory, but it waters down the dialogue and ends up being inauthentic.
❌ What to Avoid
“Sandy, how long have we been married now? Three years?” John asked.
“Oh dear, you know it’s been five,” Sandy replied.
✅ How to Get it Right
“You’ve been by my side for five years, and I can’t wait for the next five,” John said. He set a small jewelry box on the table in front of Sandy.
She opens the box to see a strand of black pearls neatly arranged on white velvet. “Wow! This is stunning!”
4. Don’t Overuse Characters’ Names Within Dialogue
In real conversations, people rarely address each other by name. Treat dialogue the same way. Excessive use of characters’ names comes across as unnatural and forced. Use names sparingly, and reserve them for moments that are meant to carry emotional weight or significance.
❌ What to Avoid
“Amy, did you like the new secretary candidate?” Lisa asked.
✅How to Get it Right
“Did you like the new secretary candidate?” Lisa asked.
5. Complicated Adverbs Need to Be Replaced with Verbs
Consider incorporating strong, descriptive verbs into your dialogue to effectively convey emotions instead of relying on complex adverbs. Doing so can add depth and immediacy to the characters' feelings and actions, which makes the narrative more vivid and engaging for readers.
❌ What to Avoid
“Don’t jump from there!” Hunter said enthusiastically.
✅ How to Get it Right
“Don’t jump from there!” Hunter yelled.
6. Characters Shouldn’t Speak in a Vacuum
When writing dialogue, it's important to connect it to the surrounding story and setting. Using physical actions and reactions can make the conversation more vivid and engaging. By showing how the characters move and express themselves, you can add depth to their words and make the story more immersive for the reader. It's a way to bring the dialogue to life and make it feel authentic and engaging.
✅ How to Get it Right
Emily set down her coffee cup. “It still doesn’t seem real that we’ll be graduating this time next week,” she said.
“I can’t believe we won’t ever live in a dorm room again,” Sam replied, taking a bite of his croissant.
Final Thoughts
Mastering the art of dialogue is a vital skill for every writer to learn. By implementing these tips, you can create dialogue that enhances character development, propels the plot, and captivates your readers from the first word to the last.