Home
>
Writing
>
10 Tips on Writing Effective Dialogue

10 Tips on Writing Effective Dialogue

1. Become an Eavesdropper

Listen carefully to the way people REALLY talk. They tend to talk in sentence fragments. They interrupt others. They repeat themselves. Try to get your dialogue to reflect authentic speech, but be careful not to become dull (real speech is OFTEN dull!)

2. Train Yourself to Notice

Observe the ways that people give away their social, economic and ethnic backgrounds by the way they talk. Use this knowledge when you create dialogue.

3. Don't Overdo the Dialect

Readers very quickly become tired of trying to 'interpret' speech that is represented phonetically, or with apostrophes everywhere to reflect dropped letters. The trick is to choose one or two words/phrases that will give a taste of what the person is like to others. A little bit goes a long way.

4. Try Recording People's Conversations

(Be careful with this!You may not be popular if you do it without permission and others find out - or if you use it unwisely. Be smart and get permission.) Listen carefully when you play it back. Often you'll hear inflections and habits that you miss when you're absorbed in a conversation first-hand.

5. Write First, Edit Later

Don't be tempted to edit too much as you write - it's better to let it flow, then give yourself some distance from the work and go back and edit later.

6. Read the Dialogue Out Loud

This is an excellent test for dialogue. Better still, get someone else to read your words. It's even easier that way to hear sentences that don't ring true, or that sound too stilted. Edit the work right away, while the problems are fresh in your mind.

7. Learn to Punctuate Dialogue Effectively

Good punctuation can make a huge difference to the effect of what you write. When you read the work out loud, decide whether the pauses are long or short (does the speaker just 'run on'; does the dialogue require a comma, or should it be a semi-colon or a colon?) Don't forget that when people trail off uncertainly, you represent this with an ellipsis (row of dots); when they are interrupted, you show it with a dash.

8. Make Sure Every Character Doesn't Sound the Same

Some people speak in clear, well-formed sentences with perfect grammar; others make constant grammatical errors and stumble over words. Some people are bright and lively and their words and tone reflect this; others are slow and thoughtful. Dialogue should reflect all of these things. Most of all, make sure that each character is not just a reflection of YOU!

9. Use Quotation Marks for Speech, not for Thoughts

Your reader can become confused if you use quotation marks for both speech and thoughts. Thoughts are expressed in other ways - usually with a tag like 'he thought' or by using italics if they are expressed in the third person. (But that's a whole other tipsheet...)

10. Don't "Sandwich" Direct Speech Between Actions

When you write dialogue, make sure that the viewpoint character's thoughts, actions and reactions are woven into the dialogue. Don't have half a page of direct speech with the occasional 'she said' and 'he said' to indicate who is speaking, then have a paragraph to describe the viewpoint character's thoughts or actions, then another half page of direct speech. Dialogue should be a smooth blend of speech, actions, thoughts and emotions.

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/

kitchen deep cleaning Deerfield ..

In The News:

Unlike robotaxi competitors, Tensor focuses on consumer-owned self-driving cars that adapt to highways and urban roads with full redundancy systems for safety.

Medicare scams cost $54 billion in 2024 as fraudsters target beneficiaries with fake calls demanding payments and personal information to steal benefits.

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.