How To Write Dialogue: 5 Simple Steps & Examples
“The moment you have dialogue, you’re in a scene.” – Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard was right. Writing dialogue is an essential skill for any storyteller. It brings characters to life, moves the story forward, and engages readers in ways that narrative alone cannot.
Not to mention that great dialogue reveals personality, conveys emotions and provides information naturally. So it’s important to get it right whether you’re writing your novel, short story or non fiction tale!
In this guide, you’ll learn how to write dialogue, why it’s important for your story and how to format it correctly. Before you know it, you’ll be writing dialogue that brings your characters to life. Let’s get started!
What Is Dialogue?
Dialogue is the written conversation between two characters or more in a story. But good writing doesn’t use dialogue for idle chit-chat, in fact, effective dialogue can benefit your writing in many ways:
- It reveals character personalities and relationships
- It moves the plot forward
- It provides information to the reader in a natural way
- It creates tension and conflict
- It adds rhythm and pacing to your writing
Take a look at these 3 examples of great dialogue that reveal parts of the characters’ personalities:
1. “Yo, listen up, ya muppet!” Razor snarled, slamming his fist on the table. “I ain’t here to play nice. Give me the freakin’ cash, or things gonna get real messy, real quick.”
2. “Crikey! The little bugger’s faster than a caffeinated kangaroo!” Pete exclaimed, chasing after the runaway koala.
3. “Oh. My. Gosh. Did you see what Becky just posted?” Zoe whispered, her thumbs flying across her phone screen. “I can’t believe it!”
Clearly, each has different speech patterns to reflect completely different personalities – hopefully, you can now see the impact of dialogue in shaping your characters!
Types Of Dialogue
1. Outer Dialogue
Outer dialogue is the spoken words between characters. It’s typically enclosed in quotation marks and represents verbal communication.
Example: “I can’t believe you forgot our anniversary,” Sarah said, crossing her arms. “I didn’t forget,” Tom replied. “I was planning a surprise.”
2. Inner Dialogue
Inner dialogue, also known as internal monologue, represents a character’s thoughts. It’s not spoken aloud and gives readers insight into a character’s mind.
Example: Sarah glared at Tom. I know he’s lying, she thought. He always touches his ear when he lies.
“I’m sorry,” Tom said, touching his ear. “It won’t happen again.”
Oh, it definitely won’t, Sarah mused, already planning her next move.
Note: Inner dialogue can be formatted in various ways:
- Italicised: I can’t believe this is happening.
- In quotation marks: “I can’t believe this is happening,” she thought.
- Regular: She couldn’t believe this was happening.
The choice often depends on the author’s style or the publisher’s preferences. Consistency is key whichever method you choose.
How To Write Dialogue
Here are the basic rules for formatting dialogue in fiction or non-fiction.
1. Use quotation marks
In most styles, dialogue is enclosed in double quotation marks.
For example: “I can’t believe it’s raining again,” Sarah grumbled.
If your character is quoting another character, then use double quotation marks ask you normally would around the dialogue and then use single quotation marks around the quoted part.
For example:
“What did Mom say about the party?” John asked.
Sarah sighed. “She said, ‘There’s no way I’m letting you stay out past midnight.'”
Here you can see that the part where Sarah is quoting her mother is enclosed in single quotation marks within the double quotation marks.
2. Start a new paragraph for each new speaker
This helps readers keep track of who’s talking. You’ll see why in these two examples.
Incorrect:
“Where are you going?” Tom asked. “Out,” replied Jane, grabbing her coat. “I need some fresh air.”
Correct:
“Where are you going?” Tom asked.
“Out,” replied Jane, grabbing her coat. “I need some fresh air.”
In the second version, it’s much clearer to the reader that Jane is still talking when explaining why she is going out.
When you start a new paragraph each time a different character speaks, it makes it clear who’s talking right away. If you don’t do this, readers might get confused about which character is saying what.
But beyond this, they could misunderstand the scene or the characters’ relationships in crucial dialogue scenes. So, by using starting a different paragraph, you help readers follow the conversation easily and understand your story better.
3. Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks
Commas, full stops, question marks, and exclamation points related to the dialogue go inside the quotes.
Examples:
“Stop right there!” he shouted.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“I think we should break into his office, get his notebook, and leave as quickly as we can,” John said.
3. Use dialogue tags correctly
If a dialogue tag (like “he said”) comes after the dialogue, use a comma inside the quotation marks.
Example: “I’m starving,” she said, “let’s get lunch.”
Note that the comma goes inside the closing quotation mark.
This rule helps to smoothly connect the spoken words with the dialogue tag, showing that they’re part of the same thought. It applies even if the sentence would normally end with a period when standing alone.
Note that question marks and exclamation points stay as they are:
“I’m starving!” she exclaimed, “let’s get lunch.”
4. Capitalise the first word of dialogue
A lot of people get this wrong. Even if your line of dialogue is in the middle of a sentence, always capitalise the first word of dialogue.
Example: Tom walked in and said, “Hey, what’s up?”
However, if there is another part of the dialogue after the tag, make this lower case. This indicates that it’s a continuation of the same speech.
Example: “I’m not sure,” Sarah said, “but I think we should investigate.”
In this second example, note how “but” isn’t capitalised because it’s continuing Sarah’s speech after the dialogue tag.
This also applies even if the first part ended in a ‘!’ or ‘?’ such as, “I’m not sure!” Sarah said, “but I think we should investigate.”
5. Use Less Quotation Marks For Longer Speeches
When your character decides to channel their inner Shakespeare and deliver a speech that spans multiple paragraphs, here’s how to wrangle those quotation marks:
- Open with quotation marks at the start of the speech.
- Skip the closing quotation marks at the end of each paragraph, except the last one.
- Begin each new paragraph with opening quotation marks.
For example:
“Listen up, crew,” the captain began. “Our mission is clear. We’re going where no one has gone before.
“Each of you was chosen for your unique skills. Your bravery. Your questionable taste in space food.
“Together, we’ll face the unknown, armed with nothing but our wits, our technology, and an inexplicable abundance of lens flares.”
This approach keeps the reader anchored in the dialogue without cluttering the text with unnecessary punctuation. It’s like leaving breadcrumbs for your reader – just enough to keep them on the path of your character’s epic oration.
6. Use Dashes To Interrupt Dialogue
Dashes are a powerful tool for showing interruptions in dialogue, adding realism and dynamism to your characters’ conversations. Here’s how to use them effectively:
- Mid-sentence interruptions: Use an em dash (—) without spaces to show a sudden break in speech.
Example: “I was just about to tell you that I—”
“Save it,” Jake interrupted. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.” - Interruption by action: Sometimes, actions interrupt dialogue. Use a dash to show this.
Example: “I can’t believe you would—”
The loud crash cut off her words.
You can see from these examples that it’s important to remember these formatting rules:
- No space before the dash
- Closing quotation mark immediately after the dash
- You don’t need a full stop after the closing quotation mark in interrupted speech
Remember, use interruptions sparingly for maximum impact. Overuse can make dialogue feel choppy and hard to follow!
Essential Rules for Writing Natural Dialogue
Want your dialogue to sound like real people talking? Try these techniques:
- Use contractions and informal language: Unless you’re writing very formal characters, most people use contractions like “don’t” instead of “do not.”
- Vary sentence length and structure: Mix short, punchy lines with longer ones. Real conversation has rhythm!
- Incorporate subtext and unspoken emotions: What’s not being said can be just as important as what is. Let your characters hint at deeper feelings or hidden agendas.
- Study real conversations: Eavesdrop (politely!) in public places to get a feel for how people really talk.
- Read it aloud: This is the best way to catch awkward phrasing or unnatural-sounding lines.
What Out For These Dialogue Mistakes!
Want to write great dialogue? Steer clear of these common mistakes to keep your dialogue engaging:
Overusing Dialogue Tags
Constantly writing “he said” or “she exclaimed” can get repetitive. Use action beats instead when possible.
Regular Dialogue: “I can’t believe it,” John said. “Neither can I,” Mary said. “What should we do?” John asked.
Improved Dialogue: “I can’t believe it.” John ran his fingers through his hair. Mary paced the room. “Neither can I.” “What should we do?” John leaned against the wall, his brow furrowed.
Writing “on-the-nose” conversations
Real people rarely say exactly what they mean. Add some subtext and let readers read between the lines.
On-the-nose: “I’m angry at you for forgetting my birthday,” Sarah said.
With subtext: Sarah’s lips tightened. “I see you had a busy day yesterday.” Tom winced, suddenly remembering the date.
Subtext allows readers to infer emotions and intentions, making dialogue more engaging and realistic.
Neglecting character voices:
Each character should have a unique way of speaking. Don’t let them all sound the same! Consider factors like:
- Vocabulary and education level
- Regional dialects or accents
- Age and generation
- Personality traits
For example:
Teenager: “Ugh, do I have to? It’s gonna be so boring.”
Elderly professor: “I’m disinclined to attend. The affair sounds rather tedious.”
By giving each character a unique voice, you create a more diverse and believable cast of characters.
Some of My Favourite Dialogue Examples
Great Expectations
“You say nothing of her,” remarked Miss Havisham to me, as she looked on. “She says many hard things of you, but you say nothing of her. What do you think of her?”
“I don’t like to say,” I stammered.
“Tell me in my ear,” said Miss Havisham, bending down.
“I think she is very proud,” I replied, in a whisper.
“Anything else?”
“I think she is very pretty.”
“Anything else?”
“I think she is very insulting.” (She was looking at me then with a look of supreme aversion.)
“Anything else?”
“I think I should like to go home.”
“And never see her again, though she is so pretty?”
“I am not sure that I shouldn’t like to see her again, but I should like to go home now.”
“You shall go soon,” said Miss Havisham, aloud. “Play the game out.”
Lord of The Rings
Frodo looked straight into Gollum’s eyes which flinched and twisted away. “You know that, or you guess well enough, Sméagol,” he said, quietly and sternly. “We are going to Mordor, of course. And you know the way there, I believe.”
“Ach! sss!”said Gollum, covering his ears with his hands, as if such frankness, and the open speaking of the names, hurt him. “We guessed, yes we guessed,” he whispered; “and we didn’t want them to go, did we? No, precious, not the nice hobbits. Ashes, ashes, and dust, and thirst there is; and pits, pits, pits, and Orcs, thousands of Orcses. Nice hobbits mustn’t go to – sss – those places.”
“So you have been there?” Frodo insisted. “And you’re being drawn back there, aren’t you?”
“Yess. Yess. No!” shrieked Gollum. “Once, by accident it was, wasn’t it, precious? Yes, by accident. But we won’t go back, no, no!” Then suddenly his voice and language changed, and he sobbed in his throat, and spoke but not to them. “Leave me alone, gollum! You hurt me. O my poor hands, gollum! I, we, I don’t want to come back. I can’t find it. I am tired. I, we can’t find it, gollum, gollum, no, nowhere. They’re always awake. Dwarves, Men, and Elves, terrible Elves with bright eyes. I can’t find it. Ach!” He got up and clenched his long hand into a bony fleshless knot, shaking it towards the East. “We won’t!” he cried. “Not for you.”
Sherlock Holmes
“How are you?” he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”
“How on earth did you know that?” I asked in astonishment.
“Never mind,” said he, chuckling to himself. “The question now is about hemoglobin. No doubt you see the significance of this discovery of mine?”
“It is interesting, chemically, no doubt,” I answered, “but practically— ”
“Why, man, it is the most practical medico-legal discovery for years. Don’t you see that it gives us an infallible test for blood stains. Come over here now!” He seized me by the coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and drew me over to the table at which he had been working. “Let us have some fresh blood,” he said, digging a long bodkin into his finger, and drawing off the resulting drop of blood in a chemical pipette. “Now, I add this small quantity of blood to a litre of water. You perceive that the resulting mixture has the appearance of pure water. The proportion of blood cannot be more than one in a million. I have no doubt, however, that we shall be able to obtain the characteristic reaction.” As he spoke, he threw into the vessel a few white crystals, and then added some drops of a transparent fluid. In an instant the contents assumed a dull mahogany colour, and a brownish dust was precipitated to the bottom of the glass jar.
“Ha! ha!” he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. “What do you think of that?”
Bring Your Characters To Life With Dialogue
when it comes to writing dialogue, it’s about more than just small talk between two characters—it’s about creating better dialogue that truly brings your story to life.
Effective dialogue does more than just convey information; it reveals personalities, builds tension, and adds rhythm to your narrative. By understanding how to punctuate dialogue correctly and avoiding common pitfalls, you can elevate your writing.
Each line of dialogue is an opportunity to engage your readers and draw them deeper into your story. So, have fun with it! Let your characters’ voices shine, and watch your story come alive.
