Writing Dialogue That Feels Real
Want to hook your readers and keep them immersed? Start by making your dialogue sound like something real people would actually say.
What’s the fastest way to lose a reader? Stiff, unnatural dialogue. It’s a dead giveaway that your characters aren’t real people. Worse, it’s distracting and pulls readers out of the story. I mean… look at this:
John: “Hello, Mary. It is so wonderful to see you today. How are you feeling? Are you still upset about the incident yesterday at the bakery where the clerk dropped your bag of muffins?”
Mary: “Oh, John. Thank you for asking. Yes, I am still quite upset about that. I was looking forward to eating those muffins with my coffee this morning, but now my whole day is ruined.”
John: “That is indeed unfortunate, Mary. I remember you saying how much you enjoy muffins with your coffee in the morning. Perhaps I can purchase you more muffins to make up for the inconvenience caused by the clumsy clerk at the bakery.”
Why It Hurts to Read:
Overexplaining: The dialogue feels like an info dump instead of a natural conversation. Real people don’t spell out unnecessary details like “the incident yesterday at the bakery where the clerk dropped your bag of muffins.”
No Subtext: The characters say exactly what they mean without emotion, nuance, or implied meaning.
Unrealistic Speech Patterns: People don’t speak in long, formal sentences full of exposition.
No Tension or Personality: The exchange is flat and doesn’t reveal anything about the characters or their relationship.
Who Cares? How is this moving the story forward? What are we learning about the characters? Not much.
Crafting realistic dialogue is an art. The best dialogue flows naturally, reveals something about the character, and moves the story forward. Luckily, this is a skill you can hone.
Here are a few quick tips to transform your dialogue from flat to fantastic:
Cut the Fluff. Real conversations may include “um,” “you know,” and endless small talk, but your dialogue shouldn’t. Every line should have a purpose: to reveal character, build tension, or advance the plot.
Use Subtext. People don’t always say what they mean. Let your characters’ actions, tone, or implied meanings do the talking. Example:
Telling: “I’m furious with you!”
Showing: “Oh, don’t worry—I didn’t expect you to show up anyway.” (There’s that showing vs telling again!)
Match Speech to Personality. A high-powered CEO, a teenager, and a retired soldier won’t speak the same way. Think about your character’s background, vocabulary, and quirks when writing their lines.
Full subscribers: take a few moments here and let’s explore the qualities of great dialogue, then do an exercise to practice the technique.
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