Dialogue isn't Conversation

Real people are terrible at dialogue. We pause, repeat ourselves, say "um" as we struggle to find the next words, forget what we were saying, and tell stories that could be way shorter. That works in conversation--not so much in dialogue.

On the page? Your reader is waiting for you to get to the point. Good dialogue should sound like real conversation without actually being real conversation. That doesn’t mean every character needs to speak in perfectly polished sentences. Rambling, repetition, awkward pauses, interruptions, and verbal tics can all be fantastic characterization, but they need to be doing something.

A good line of dialogue might:

•  reveal character

•  move the story forward

•  change a relationship

•  create tension

•  hide something in subtext

•  answer one question while creating another

Sometimes the most important part of a conversation is what the characters refuse to say. That’s where subtext comes in. This seemingly simple sentence can mean so many things: “I’m glad you came.”

• I missed you.

• I need your help.

• I didn't think you'd come.

• You're in terrible danger.

• I haven't forgiven you.

• Please don't leave again.

It's the same sentence, but the scene determines the meaning. Let your story do the heavy lifting.

When you're revising dialogue, don't just ask if it sounds realistic. Ask what your characters want from one another, from the discussion, from the moment. Every line should mean something, even if the character saying it doesn't quite understand what that something is yet.