''Complete This Lesson!'' She Said Excitedly.

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• What is dialogue anyway?

The word dialogue can be traced back to the Greek word dialegesthai, meaning "to converse". And that’s exactly what dialogue is all about -- conversation.

That’s why, in the example above, the first sentence structure is meh while the second is great.

Dialogue is a conversation, and great dialogue allows readers to play the conversation in their head, as if they were really there.

Watch How to Write GREAT Dialogue, from Abbie Emmons, to learn six tips for writing great character dialogue:

One of the most important uses of dialogue in narrative writing is to reveal something about your character to the reader in order to develop the character.

Think of your character as a plant. Over time, plants change and grow much more complex. Now, think of a seed.

• It’s a bit boring compared to a large sunflower, right?

If you want your characters to be interesting, real, and complex, you can use dialogue.

You can use dialogue to reveal:

• backstory or background
• thoughts and feelings
• personality

• But how do you do it?

Let’s take a closer look at some examples.

Backstory or Background

Thoughts and Feelings

Personality

• Think you've got what it takes to create great dialogue?

Move to the Got It? section to test your skills!