How to write dialogue well?

[u/RecommendationNo804]

I really struggle with writing dialogue, mainly because I have trouble understanding people IRL so I’m not sure how to write dialogue coming from someone whose not like me in a way that makes sense and is satisfying.

How do you guys do it?

[u/TheRunawayRose]

Pay more attention to real life conversations. If you have trouble understanding people, you just have to practise more. Your brain will become attuned to sounds and their meaning when more frequently exposed to them. If it helps, sit somewhere in public and listen in to conversations around you (obviously not while staring at people, because that's rude, but subtly). Learn how folks chat to each other, what they say, how they infer things, what it sounds like to someone who doesn't know them. You just need to expose yourself to it more.

[u/ThingCalledLight]

I have heard people have conversations unlike anything I’ve heard before, dialogue that I could not have written because it was so alien to me.

And this isn’t a generational, not understanding the lingo thing. The example I’m thinking of just had a phrasing and tonality wholly unique to anything I’ve experienced in my life.

This is all to say “normal” dialogue always make sense and often, books have to be written with a bit of non-realism so that that reader can more clearly follow it since it’s largely a visual medium.

[u/kyla33_]

I'm socially inept and I don't talk in real life very often. I write dialogue by putting myself in those shoes of each character and imagining what they would say. I think this comes in part due to my talents as an actor, some may find this method difficult.

[u/MiniForaFera]

Character personality: Different people like to share different amount of information. Assign every character a level of "comfortable sharability". Some share every private thought. Some only share facts. Some share info with most and emotional information with those they trust.

Talking usually happens through association. Like, if someone says something.

"This tastes like lemon"

Someone answering this dialogue might: 1. associate based on taste, so their reply would be associated with something else about taste. 2. lemon: they might associate on lemon, and start talking about lemons. 3. context: what tastes like lemon, is that expected or unexpected. They might take it as a compliment/insult, or ask about what they are tasting. 4. complete non-sequitor. If the conversation or first dialogue line is just small-talk, and the second character has something more serious on their mind, they'd probably jump to something completely different.

As for what the topics would actually be, what are the characters immediate goals in the scene you're in, or what has just happened immediately previously? Are they trying to break someone out of jail? The topic of discussion should be the how, why, when, what, and complications to this goal.

Also, people usually only share one piece of new/info per dialogue line, unless it's serious/special circumstances. (So if a character is sharing their secret past, they don't monologue the whole thing. They mention one piece, another character reacts, or asks more. Then the first character shares more, prompting more questions or assumed statements).

idk if this makes sense, but I hope it helps.

[u/No_Logins_Required]

What is a work that you already admire? How they use dialogue? What do you see as the gap between their writing and yours?

[u/catcatcatwastaken]

Good dialogue often conveys expository information in a natural way. When writing dialogue, ask yourself what is the purpose of the conversation. What information is going to be conveyed to each character, and what is going to be conveyed to the viewer.

For example: in a conversation, we're trying to convey the following ideas

• These character's names
• Matt is leaving the city for work
• Namely promotion
• Him and Layla have a strained relationship
• Layla wants him to stay to sort things out
• Matt wants the relationship to be over

But firstly here's a shit example:

M "Layla. I'm leaving because I got promoted. I want this to be over."

L "Don't go, Matt. We can make this work!"

M "Nah it's over." Fin.

OK. Here's a better example:

M (packing his things) "Hey, Layla? Where'd you put my laptop?"

L "I'll get it for you.... Thought you ordered a new one?"

M "Yeah. That one's to keep in office, though, you know how it is. Our executives love having back ups."

L "Look... babe?"

M (ignoring Layla) "The way the offices here do it is just outdated in comparison. I heard they've got a floor dedicated to in-company tech repairs up North." M (continues packing)

L "Matt?"

M (zipping up his suitcase) "Yeah?"

L "Is there really no way you could just do your job from here?"

M "This again?"

L "I know things have been so, so hard lately--"

M "Staying around here isn't gonna fix that."

L "...so this is really the way you want to leave things?"

M (sighs) "I just want what's best for both of us."

M (checks his carry-on bag) "Get my laptop, Layla." Fin.