Dialogue that works
Real conversation is repetitive, unfocused, and full of throat-clearing. Dialogue isn't. Dialogue is structured to do work. Every line should either advance the plot, reveal character, escalate tension, or carry subtext, ideally two at once.
The four jobs
- Advance the plot. Information moves; decisions get made; characters commit to actions.
- Reveal character. Word choice, sentence length, evasions, what the character chooses not to say.
- Escalate tension. Each line raises the temperature, narrows options, or exposes a wound.
- Carry subtext.What's not being said. Two characters arguing about dishes when they're really arguing about the marriage.
A line that does only one job is acceptable. A line that does none is filler.
Tags and beats
- Saidis invisible. Use it. Variations (“he interjected,” “she opined”) distract.
- Adverbs in dialogue tags(“he said angrily”) tell instead of show. Cut them.
- Action beats(a small physical action attached to a line) replace tags and double as character reveal: “She set down her glass. ‘That's not what I meant.’”
- Don't over-tag. If two characters are obviously trading lines, tags every other line are sufficient.
Voice in dialogue
Each character should be identifiable by their dialogue alone, with tags removed. Consider sentence length, vocabulary range, hedge words, fillers. A character who always speaks in complete sentences is different from one who interrupts themselves. A character who says “ain't” once and never again has a different relationship to dialect than one who uses it consistently.
Common pitfalls
- As-you-know dialogue.Characters explaining things they already know to each other for the reader's benefit. Find another way to deliver the information.
- Round-robin info-dumping. Three characters taking turns explaining one thing.
- Phonetic dialect.“Whut you doin'?” reads as condescending. Pick word choice and rhythm instead.