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Character Dialogue

17 days ago

Does anybody have tips for writing believable character dialogue?

Character Dialogue

17 days ago
Read it out loud or record it and play it back. See if it sounds reasonable. Also go talk to real meat people not on the internet.

Character Dialogue

17 days ago
This last one is important.

Mainly though, don't make the common noob mistake of having them just stop what they're doing, turn to face the camera, and vomit out raw unadorned plot info at the reader or each other.

Character Dialogue

17 days ago
You should also be sure to read Gower's article on dialogue punctuation.

Character Dialogue

17 days ago
I always found the most entertaining dialogue (both irl and in fiction) happens when there's something else going on beside the talk itself.

So have the characters do something while talking to each other, whether it's traveling (oh do you see these cool things as well?), training, fussing, or anything really to make the scene more lived in.

Character Dialogue

17 days ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWQxaQ_tJVY

Here is a 2-hour video on how to write great dialogue. Have fun!

Character Dialogue

17 days ago
Haven't checked the video, but if the guy manages a 2 hour video on the topic he's sure well versed in the monologue!

Character Dialogue

17 days ago

Lol, it's a masterclass, or close to it. It is more like a bunch of interviews stitched together expertly.

Character Dialogue

13 days ago

It's greatly appreciated!

Character Dialogue

17 days ago
This is like asking how to have a conversation in real life.

Character Dialogue

13 days ago

Identify each character's motivations before writing dialogue for them.

Character Dialogue

13 days ago
I second this. Additionally, I would also recommend changing how characters speak depending on who they are speaking to. For example, you could have a character who speaks very politely to their superiors but deals with their peers with a foul mouth. This can help with characterization while also defining the relationships between characters.

Character Dialogue

13 days ago
Live in the scene. It's not you writing a scene, it's you inside a scene, with things happening. What do you say? How do you move? What are you and the other character doing at the time? Make sure there are moments of silence too, which is where the internal monologue lives.

Also, translate events that have happened into your life to the scene. In a similar situation, what body language was used? What tone?

And one more little tip, what things are NOT being said, or what things are only hinted at in subtext? People don't always say everything they are thinking. This needs to happen in your dialogue too, including with non-POV characters (this is another place where body language and tone come into play).