“If your characters all sound like the same person wearing different name tags, your dialogue isn’t dialogue—it’s a monologue with quotation marks.”
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
Great dialogue does three things at once: it reveals character, advances the plot, and sounds like something a real human being would actually say. Bad dialogue does none of these things and sounds like a corporate training video where everyone is suspiciously articulate and nobody ever says ‘um.’
The Dialogue Quality Spectrum
| Robot Dialogue | Human Dialogue |
| “I am experiencing feelings of anger.” | “Don’t talk to me right now.” |
| “As you know, we have been friends for 15 years.” | “After everything we’ve been through? Seriously?” |
| “I believe we should proceed with the plan.” | “Let’s just do it before I lose my nerve.” |
| Both characters have the same vocabulary. | Each character speaks differently based on background, age, and mood. |
| Characters say exactly what they mean. | Characters dance around what they mean, and the reader reads between the lines. |
Advanced Dialogue Techniques
- Subtext is king. What characters DON’T say is often more powerful than what they do. Let the reader infer the emotion.
- Use dialogue to create conflict. Two people wanting different things in the same conversation = instant tension.
- Interrupt realistically. Real people cut each other off, change subjects, and trail off mid-sentence.
- Vary rhythm. Mix short, punchy exchanges with longer speeches. Rhythm creates energy.
- Read your dialogue out loud in different character voices. If you can’t distinguish who’s talking by voice alone, revise.
Your Move, Creative
Take your most dialogue-heavy scene. Remove ALL dialogue tags. Can you still tell who’s speaking? If not, each character needs a more distinct voice. Rewrite until every line could only belong to one person.
Stop letting your stories stay stuck.
