10 Tips to Write Compelling Dialogue

Do you know The Dos & Don’ts of Writing Compelling Dialogue? 

In narrative, you can wax poetic about the setting sun. In dialogue, if you go on about the color of the sky, people are apt to find your writing pretentious. Why? Because readers will notice the WRITER in those scenes, not the characters. Good dialogue should strive to reveal character and emotional state, present information, and move the plot forward—ideally, all at once, without drawing too much attention to itself. Great dialogue proves catnip for readers . . . and publishers.

It’s not enough simply to record the way people actually talk. The dialogue must be concentrated, shaped, dramatically moving, in a way that real-life conversation seldom is.
— Philip Gerard

So, how do you avoid common dialogue-writing pitfalls? Implement these ten tips TODAY:

1. Record only significant passages of conversations: characters shouldn’t speak unless there is something important to say.

2. Never reveal backstory in dialogue for the benefit of informing the audience. Whenever possible, weave exposition into the narrative instead. Expository dialogue is a sure sign of amateur writing.
   
   
3. Let each line spoken imply its tone. If you need to employ adverbs to convey inflection, or use dialogue tags other than a simple “asked” or “said, write a stronger line.
   
   
4. Every character comes to a conversation with an agenda. Let each advocate on its behalf.
   
   
5. Use pauses, silences, and tacit information to build tension.
   
   
6. Let characters talk AROUND things. People rarely state outright what they’re thinking. (Think: every villain, seduction scene, or Tarrantino film ever.) This allows readers to chart a clear shift in tension when dialogue becomes on topic. Alternatively, consider introducing a character who always says exactly what is on his/her/their mind and see what discomfort this causes.
   
   
7. Let lines of dialogue do double-duty, working metaphorically as well as literally, as often as possible.
   
   
8. Affect dialect through phrasing and word choice—not weird spelling. 
   
   
9. Render the voice of a child via how children think, not by trying to replicate how children sound.
   
   
10. Refer to a good style guide (or any novel off your shelf in a pinch) to ensure you format dialogue correctly. Improperly formatted dialogue often leads to automatic rejection. 

Studying your favorite films (or plays) is an easy way to hear snappy, suspenseful, and successful dialogue in action. Just remember, dialogue serves a slightly different function in literature than in visual mediums, as books provide access to characters’ thoughts as well as larger context. When watching, ask yourself: which techniques can you employ in your own writing, versus which are better left to the screen or stage?

For a deeper dive into how to write lines rich with subtext, check out my favorite article on the subject by Douglas Unger.

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