''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.

Dialogue is one of the most important parts of storytelling. If it feels natural and realistic, it can pull your reader into the story and keep them interested. If it feels awkward or forced, it can make the story hard to take seriously.

Dialogue is not just something you add because stories need conversation. Every line of dialogue gives your reader information. Dialogue also reveals what characters think, feel, and believe. Even the way a character speaks (and the way they act while speaking) can tell the reader a lot.

In real life, people communicate constantly because humans need connection. People share emotions, ideas, and information through language every day. Your characters should have the same reason for speaking. They should not talk only to move the plot forward. They should speak because they need to communicate with each other.

When characters feel real, their dialogue will sound more realistic.

To make your dialogue sound natural, try these techniques.

Listen to Real Conversations

Pay attention to how people actually speak. Notice what they say, but also notice their tone, emotions, facial expressions, gestures, and body language. People communicate in more ways than just words.

Try recording a real conversation (even a boring one), then write it down. Add dialogue tags and body language. This is a good way to see what realistic dialogue actually looks like.

Listen to Dialogue in Film and Television

Movies and TV shows can be great examples of dialogue because you can hear how the conversation sounds without imagining it. Choose well-written shows and pay attention to which conversations feel believable and which ones feel forced.

Sometimes a show can even switch between great writing and poor writing from one season to the next.

Use Subtext

Subtext means reading between the lines. In real life, people do not always say exactly what they are thinking or feeling. They hold back for many reasons. Those unspoken emotions and thoughts are part of what makes conversations interesting.

If characters always say everything they feel out loud, the dialogue can sound unrealistic and boring.

Write Your Dialogue Like a Screenplay

One helpful trick is to write dialogue like a script before writing the rest of the scene. This helps the conversation flow naturally because you are focused only on what the characters are saying.

Once the conversation feels right, you can go back and add narration, description, and dialogue tags.

Give Every Character a Unique Voice

Each character should sound different. Their word choice, tone, and speaking style should match their personality. If every character sounds the same, the dialogue will feel flat.

A good way to plan character voice is to create a style sheet for each character that explains how they speak and what makes their voice different.

Practice Often

Dialogue improves the more you write it. Even strong writers sometimes look back at older work and cringe. That is normal. Writing dialogue is a skill that takes time.

The more you practice, the more natural your dialogue will become.

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!