Writing Dialogue: Five Small Craft Choices That Make a Big Difference
Writing dialogue involves more than deciding what your characters say. Punctuation, paragraphing and speech tags all affect how clearly – and believably – a conversation reads.
These four practical dialogue-writing tips can help make your fiction feel more realistic and professional.
1. Write spoken numbers as words
When writing dialogue, if a character says a number aloud, it will usually read more naturally if you write it as words.
Instead of:
“600 – do I have 600?”
Write:
“Six hundred – do I have six hundred?”
The character is speaking the number, not reading it from a screen. Writing it as words helps the dialogue sound more natural and keeps the reader immersed in the scene.
There may be exceptions, particularly when a character is reading a date, code, address or reference number. In most ordinary dialogue, however, numbers work best when written as they would be spoken.
2. Remember: new person – new line
A useful rule when formatting dialogue is:
New person – new line.
For example:
“I thought you’d forgotten,” Daniel said.
Maya looked away.
Maya’s action belongs to a different person from the speaker, so it should begin a new paragraph.
However, you could write:
“I thought you’d forgotten,” Daniel said, folding his arms.
The dialogue and action both belong to Daniel, so they can remain in the same paragraph.
3. Know the difference between a speech tag and an action
Should dialogue end with a comma or a full stop?
It depends on what comes next.
Use a comma before a speech tag – a phrase that tells us someone is speaking or describes how the words are spoken.
For example:
“Get out of this house,” he hissed.
“I planted some flowers,” she said.
If the speech tag interrupts one continuous sentence, use commas on both sides:
“I planted some flowers,” she said, “so I could look at them every day.”
An action is different.
For example:
“Yes.” She laughed. “You remembered.”
“Are you still there?” He gripped the phone. “Please answer me.”
“She laughed” and “he gripped the phone” do not describe how the words were spoken. They are separate actions, so the dialogue before them should end with a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
A common mistake is to use a comma because the action looks like a speech tag.
Incorrect:
“Yes,” she laughed.
Correct:
“Yes.” She laughed.
Once you start looking for them, you may notice these speech-tag imposters everywhere.
4. Remove unnecessary speech tags
When a character performs an action alongside their dialogue, you often do not need a speech tag as well.
For example:
“I never said I was leaving,” Maya said. She folded the letter in half.
Could become:
“I never said I was leaving.” Maya folded the letter in half.
The action already identifies Maya as the speaker, so adding “Maya said” is unnecessary.
Using an action instead of a speech tag can also reveal something about the character. Folding the letter might suggest nervousness, reluctance or finality, depending on the scene.
This does not mean every speech tag should be replaced. Too many actions can make dialogue feel busy or over-directed. The aim is to vary the way you present dialogue and remove tags that are doing no useful work.
Frequently asked questions about dialogue punctuation
When should I use a comma after dialogue?
Use a comma when the dialogue is followed by a speech tag such as “she said”, “he whispered” or “they shouted”.
When should dialogue end with a full stop?
Use a full stop when the sentence following the dialogue describes a separate action rather than identifying how the words were spoken.
Does a new speaker always need a new paragraph?
Yes. Each time a different character speaks, begin a new paragraph. Actions belonging to a different character should usually begin a new paragraph too.
Do I need a speech tag after every line?
No. When the speaker is already clear from the surrounding dialogue or an accompanying action, a speech tag may be unnecessary.
In summary
Good dialogue is not only about what characters say. It is also about how their words are presented on the page.
Clear paragraphing helps readers follow the conversation. Accurate punctuation distinguishes speech tags from actions, while carefully chosen actions can reduce repetition and reveal character.
These choices may feel small, but together they make dialogue clearer, more natural and more effective.
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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.