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Writing Good Dialogue
How to bring your characters to life
Good dialogue won’t save a bad story, but bad dialogue can ruin a good story. Good, realistic dialogue that enhances a story rather than stops it in its tracks will bring your characters to life and is paramount to writing successful fiction.
But what is good dialogue? Good dialogue is easy to understand, moves the story forward, and makes your characters come alive.
Here are some quick Dos and Don’ts:
Do…
Use dialogue to move the story forward
Dialogue in fiction is an economical representation of the real thing. In addition to being realistic, it must be purposeful. Read your dialogue and ask whether it has a function. Does it establish tone or mood? Does it reveal anything about the plot or characters? Does it add to the relationship that the reader is building with the speaker? Does it add or create conflict? If it doesn’t have a purpose, delete it.
“If we don’t get to the mall by six, they’ll be out of cookies,” said Gavin.
