How to Write Better Dialogue: Four Simple Tips
Good dialogue should sound natural while still doing more than an ordinary conversation. It should reveal character, move the story forward and keep the reader interested. If you want to learn how to write better dialogue, this is a great place to start.
These four practical dialogue-writing tips will help you make conversations feel more believable, focused and individual to the characters speaking.
1. Read your dialogue out loud
One of the easiest ways to write better dialogue is to read it out loud.
Ask yourself:
- Does it sound like something a real person would actually say?
- Does it flow naturally?
- Do you stumble over long or complicated sentences?
If a line feels uncomfortable to say, it will probably feel uncomfortable to read.
Reading aloud can also help you notice repetition, awkward phrasing and places where the conversation moves too slowly.
2. Cut unnecessary greetings and goodbyes
Real conversations often begin with:
“Hi.”
“How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
But fictional conversations do not have to. In fact, they are often stronger without these ordinary exchanges.
Readers can usually assume that the characters greeted one another before the interesting part of the conversation began.
The same applies to goodbyes. You do not always need to show every character saying goodbye, arranging to speak later and ending the conversation.
Like stories in general, dialogue often becomes stronger when you arrive later and leave earlier.
3. Give each character an individual voice
If you removed the dialogue tags from your scene, could you still tell who was speaking?
Characters do not just have different opinions – they should also have different voices.
Some characters use long, detailed sentences. Others are blunt.
Some ask lots of questions. Others avoid answering them.
A character’s vocabulary, sentence length, rhythm and favourite expressions can all help to create an individual voice.
The more distinctive your characters sound, the less often you will need to remind the reader who is speaking.
4. Use “said” for most dialogue tags
Many writers worry about repeating the word “said”, so they reach for alternatives:
“He exclaimed.”
“She remarked.”
“They stated.”
“He retorted.”
But readers hardly notice the word “said”.
It is so familiar that our brains tend to skim over it, allowing us to focus on what really matters – the dialogue itself.
By contrast, unusual dialogue tags can draw attention to themselves. Instead of concentrating on the conversation, the reader begins noticing the tags.
Most of the time, “he said”, “she said” or “they said” is all you need.
To show that a character is angry, sarcastic or nervous, let their dialogue and actions do the work.
Instead of:
“I don’t care,” she retorted angrily.
You could write:
“I don’t care.” She shoved the letter into her pocket.
The dialogue should carry the emotion, rather than relying on an elaborate dialogue tag.
Frequently asked questions about writing dialogue
How can I make dialogue sound natural?
Read it aloud, remove unnecessary words and make sure the sentences sound like something the character would genuinely say. Natural dialogue is usually more concise than real conversation, while still sounding believable.
Should fictional dialogue sound exactly like real conversation?
No. Real conversations contain repetition, hesitation, greetings and unimportant exchanges. Fictional dialogue should feel realistic, but it should usually be more focused and purposeful.
Is it wrong to use dialogue tags other than “said”?
No, but unusual tags are best used sparingly. Words such as “whispered”, “shouted” or “asked” can be useful when they add important information. Most of the time, however, “said” is the least distracting choice.
How do I make characters sound different?
Think about each character’s vocabulary, sentence length, confidence, background and habits. One character might speak carefully and precisely, while another interrupts, jokes or gives very short answers.
In summary
Strong dialogue does not need to copy every part of real conversation. It needs to sound believable while remaining focused, purposeful and easy to follow.
Read it aloud, cut unnecessary exchanges, give each character an individual voice and keep your dialogue tags simple.
Want to improve your creative writing?
Browse Alight Writing Academy’s online creative writing courses for practical guidance, structured writing exercises and personalised tutor feedback.
Our courses are designed to help you develop your characters, dialogue and stories while completing finished pieces of your own.
About the author
Dr Christina Clover is an award-winning published author, creative writing lecturer and editor with a PhD in Creative Writing. She teaches fiction through Alight Writing Academy’s online creative writing courses.