How to Write Realistic Dialogue

When dialogue sounds forced and fake, it can ruin even the best story. If you want dialogue to sound natural and realistic, here are a few tips.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• time
• notebook, pen

1. Listen, listen, listen.
   Keep your ears perked at all times. Listen to the way people talk to one another. What makes something sound natural? Take note of what is said and what is not said. What was said with words, and what was said with body language? Pay attention to what words they use. Dialogue can often sound bad when you insert slang or jargon you are not familiar with. Not every teenager says "dude" and not every old woman says "oh my!" Silence is also a part of every conversation, and it can mean different things. Two people can be awkwardly silent on a first date or comfortably silent on a porch swing on their 50th wedding anniversary. Every conversation you participate in or overhear is fodder for good dialogue.
   
   If you want to write how people really talk, you have to LISTEN to how people really talk!!

2. Copy.
   Okay, don't plagiarize. But everyone should know who his/her influences are. If you are just in love with the way characters talk on your favorite show or in your favorite book, feel free to try to emulate that style in your writing. For example, if you like the bitter wit on the show House, try an exercise where you write a few scenes. Or make up an exchange between Romeo and Juliet. Try on the hats of your favorite writers and be gritty and foul or pleasant and quaint or sharp and quick.

3. Remember that most of the time, people aren't talking TO each other. They talk with each other and at each other, but rarely TO each other. Unless someone is seeking very specific information, most interaction is open to interpretation. For example, when someone asks, "Does this make me look fat?" s/he is not usually looking for just a "yes" or "no" (how to answer that question is another eHow altogether). Usually, in that case, the person is seeking approval, asking for your opinion, etc. A real person would probably come up with a way to skirt the ACTual question at hand and respond with something like, "I love that color on you!"
   
   So unless we are talking about a police investigation, where every line of dialogue receives a definite response from the other person, most conversations do not occur in parallel lines.

4. Say it out loud.
   If you can't believe it when it's read aloud, you're doing it wrong. Even if you are writing a short story which is meant to be READ, you should always keep in mind that dialogue should always be believable when SAID.
   
   If you find yourself fumbling, edit out words that can be said in narrative description or the actions of the character. Instead of a character saying, "I'm nervous," perhaps we see them biting their nails and checking his/her watch.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to avoid exposition in dialogue. You can often include details in narrative or by giving clues.

[Alrady]

on 12/5/2009 great article and very helpful to learning how to write dialog more realistically

[yellowstar2000]

on 12/2/2009 Excellent advice for writing realistic dialogue! 5***** Thanks for the tips.

[IcyCucky]

on 4/30/2009 Great tips and advices!!