Dialogue is one of the most exciting parts of a story. It’s where your characters get to speak, reveal their personalities, and move the plot forward. But writing good dialogue isn’t just about putting words inside quotation marks—it’s about making conversations sound real, natural, and believable.
Have you ever read dialogue in a book that felt stiff, awkward, or completely unrealistic? That’s what happens when writers don’t pay attention to how people actually talk.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to write dialogue that flows naturally, engages readers, and brings your characters to life.
1. Why is Dialogue Important in a Story?
Dialogue does so much more than just fill space between descriptions. It’s a powerful tool for storytelling. It helps reveal your character’s personality, shows relationships between characters, moves the plot forward, and keeps the reader engaged. Good dialogue doesn’t just tell readers what’s happening—it shows them.
Compare these two examples:
- Tom was nervous. vs. “I… I don’t think this is a good idea,”
- Tom whispered, glancing over his shoulder.
The second version lets us see Tom’s nervousness through his words and actions.
2. Make Dialogue Sound Like Real Speech (But Better)
People don’t speak in perfect, complete sentences all the time, and your characters shouldn’t either. Real conversations are full of interruptions, pauses, and unfinished thoughts.
But here’s the trick—your dialogue should feel real without including all the filler words and “ums” that people actually use in real life.
Realistic dialogue is about capturing the essence of how people talk, not copying every little detail.
For example, “I, um, was just thinking, like, maybe we could… I don’t know, try again tomorrow?” might sound realistic but feels clunky. Instead, try “Maybe we could just… try again tomorrow?”
3. Give Each Character a Unique Voice
Your characters shouldn’t all sound the same when they speak. Think about their personality, background, and mood. Is your character shy or confident? Young or old? Serious or playful? These traits will shape how they talk.
A brave character might say, “Let’s go. We can’t waste time,” while a nervous one might say, “Uh… are you sure about this?”
Pay attention to the words they use, how long their sentences are, and whether they speak formally or casually.
4. Use Dialogue to Reveal Emotion
Dialogue is an excellent way to show how a character feels without saying it outright.
Instead of writing, “Sophie was angry,” you can let her feelings come through in her words: “Are you kidding me? After everything I’ve done, this is how you repay me?”
Notice how the words, combined with the punctuation, create a sense of anger. Small actions alongside dialogue also help show emotion. For example, “I’m fine,” she muttered, staring at the floor. The dialogue says one thing, but her body language reveals the truth.
5. Keep Dialogue Snappy and Purposeful
Every line of dialogue should serve a purpose. It should either reveal something about the character, move the plot forward, or add to the atmosphere. If a conversation doesn’t do any of these things, it might need trimming.
Avoid long, rambling exchanges that don’t go anywhere. For example:
“Hi, how are you?” “I’m fine, thanks. How are you?” “I’m okay too.” This might sound realistic, but it doesn’t add anything to the story.
Instead, jump straight into the interesting part of the conversation: “Did you hear what happened at school today?”
6. Show, Don’t Tell, in Dialogue
Great dialogue isn’t just about what characters say—it’s also about what they do while speaking. Actions, facial expressions, and body language can add so much meaning to a conversation.
For example: “I said I was fine,” Mark said, crossing his arms tightly. The crossed arms tell us that Mark is closed off or defensive, even if his words suggest otherwise.
Mixing dialogue with small actions helps keep scenes dynamic and prevents long stretches of talking heads.
7. Avoid Overusing Dialogue Tags
Dialogue tags are words like “said,” “asked,” or “shouted” that show who is speaking. While they’re useful, they can get repetitive if used too much. Instead of writing “Stop!” she shouted, you could show it with an action: “Stop!” She slammed her hand on the table.
When you do use dialogue tags, keep them simple. “Said” and “asked” are usually better than fancier alternatives like “exclaimed” or “uttered.” Readers tend to skip over “said” naturally, which keeps the focus on the dialogue itself.
We have a wonderful series of posters in our ‘100 ways series’ that can help you use a mix of dialogues tags, and a mix of other words.
8. Use Interruptions and Overlapping Speech
In real conversations, people sometimes interrupt each other or speak over one another.
You can show this in your writing using dashes. For example:
- “But I thought—”
- “No, you didn’t think! That’s the problem.”
This creates a sense of urgency or tension in the dialogue. Similarly, ellipses can show hesitation: “I was just… I didn’t mean to…”
You must be careful when using ellipses in your writing for 11 Plus exams, as it can look untidy and colloquial. If you aren’t sure about how to use it, stick to dashes.
Small details like these make your dialogue feel more natural.
9. Read Your Dialogue Out Loud
One of the best ways to test if your dialogue sounds natural is to read it out loud. If it feels awkward or clunky, your readers will notice too. Pay attention to whether it flows smoothly, whether it sounds like something a real person would say, and whether each character’s voice feels distinct.
10. Practice Writing Dialogue
Like anything in writing, getting good at dialogue takes practice. Here are some exercises to help you improve: Write a conversation between two characters who are arguing without directly saying what they’re arguing about. Write a scene where one character knows a secret but doesn’t want to tell the other. Write a dialogue-only scene (no descriptions, just talking) and see if readers can tell what’s happening just from the words.
Let Your Characters Speak for Themselves
Great dialogue is more than just words on a page—it’s how readers get to know your characters, understand their emotions, and follow their journey.
Pay attention to how people talk in real life, experiment with different voices, and most importantly, have fun with it! When your dialogue flows naturally, your characters will leap off the page and your readers will feel like they’re right there in the conversation. Now, let your characters do the talking!
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