3 Tips on How to Write Dialogue

Dialogue.

*sigh*

Many writers struggle to writing dialogue that sounds real and believable, not only from the characters but in the readers imagination as well. We want dialogue that roles off the tip of the readers tongue. We want it to sound natural, as if two people are literally standing next to the reader having a conversation.

But how do we achieve this?

Good question.

Writing dialogue is something that I haven’t found a lot of advice on over the years. It’s something that I’ve had to learn about through trial and error. Today I would like to share with you some of my favorite tips and ways that I’ve found success in writing dialogue. Because, strangely enough, it used to be my least favorite part about writing, but now, it might be my favorite.

Tip #1: Listen to the Character

While this may sound cliche, it’s one of the most important pieces to writing dialogue in my opinion. Think about it. What do you do when you write dialogue? Who are you listening to, yourself—or the character?

Too often as writers we’re tempted to take the story into our own hands and write what we feel should happen. But, whenever I’ve tried doing this in the past, it simply doesn’t work out. Because this is your characters story, therefore they should be the one making the decisions, right?

Don’t label me with a mental disorder yet, stick with me here.

Characters are the glue that holds your whole story together. Imagine for a second that you take your main character out of your story… *crickets chirp* Yeah. Did you see what happened there?

There was no story.

Which brings me back to my point here. Dialogue.

If you’ve been writing for any length of time then I’m sure you have experienced the voices of your characters inside your head. (Yes, the joys of being a writer…) However, sometimes writers will block those voices out of their head and instead write it the way they see fit. *collective character gasp* And this is their biggest downfall in writing dialogue.

There’s no better way to get true, authentic dialogue then to write it exactly how the character said it in your head. A lot of times I try to take over the story and write the dialogue how I think it should go. But you know what? Whenever I do that, it never feels real to me. Not like when I let the characters talk, that’s when you can get the richest dialogue.

Tip #2: Write Screenplays

I’ve always been a nut for screenplays. Reading them, writing them, looking at them. I love everything about it. They fascinate me. (#nerdmoment) Especially when I was younger, I loved imagining up the most ridiculous stories and then writing them into a screenplay. (Then said younger self would convince her siblings to act out the play… we won’t go into that.)

But little did my younger self know was how much that helps in learning how to write great dialogue! (I was a genius and I didn’t even know it!) Because in screenplays there is little to no description—just the bare minimum—and it focuses solely on the dialogue. You don’t get any tag lines to say, “he said enthusiastically”, or, “she exclaimed as she cast her eyes about the room”. That’s not a part of screenplays.

So… what do you do? You have to relay that emotion through the dialogue. Tough, I know. But so invaluable to learn!

Because too many tag lines bog down your story—you can’t rely on them. Besides, it sounds more like an after thought when you throw the emotion in the tag line. No! Express it in the dialogue! That is the purest, most natural way to go.

So my advice? Try your hand at writing screenplays. Even if you don’t complete a whole story, just try writing pieces of dialogue. See what happens and grow from the experience.

Tip #3: Ask for Feedback

This is the possibly the most important tip. Because no matter how much you practice, no matter how much you attempt to grow in writing dialogue, you will have no knowledge of what you’re achieving—or if you’re achieving anything at all—if you don’t ask for feedback.

As I said at the beginning, I always knew dialogue was an area in which I struggled with. Even now I can’t hardly read my old stories because the dialogue feels so fake. But, because I took notice of that, I worked harder than ever in that area to improve. However, I never knew if I was improving or not. Until I asked for feedback.

It was one of the first times I had asked for feedback on something I wrote. Actually, come to think of it, it might have been the first time I had given my writing to a non-family member. I was nervous and scared, but I knew I wanted another opinion on my story.

I don’t remember all the feedback my friend gave me on that story but the main thing that stuck with me was what she said about my dialogue. She told me that she felt as though she was right there with the characters hearing them speak. It felt real to her. I was amazed quite frankly. All I had ever known was how much I struggled in that area, and in my eyes I had never gotten any better.

But hearing my friend’s encouragement meant so much to me, and it was so helpful to know that I had finally come somewhere in an area I had been working for so long to improve in. But I never would have known that if I hadn’t asked for a second opinion on it.

Fun little bonus tip: read your dialogue out loud while writing. Sometimes in your head you can’t hear how it would sound. You would think it wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but it does. I often use this tip and find flaws that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. (Yes, I’m the writer who mumbles as she writes. Yes, I’m mumbling right now as I write this. Don’t judge, we’re all crazy here.)

In conclusion, writing dialogue can be hard, yes, but once mastered it can be the most beautiful part of your story. I hope that you will give these tips a try for yourself and that you find success through them. Never give up, my friend, because writing is a beautiful thing and your words can bring that beauty into this world. So press on, and keep writing!

Your turn!

What are your tips on writing dialogue? Have you ever tried writing a screenplay? Do you enjoy writing dialogue?

Blessings, Allyson

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