Three Tips to Improve Character Dialogue

Almost any fiction writer will tell you that writing convincing and immersing dialogue is one of the hardest aspects of the craft. Amateurs and professionals alike often spend hours writing and rewriting, in an effort to spin dialogue that doesn't seem forced, unnatural, and corny. Good dialogue should not only be believable, but it should also add depth to a character, hinting at their personality, age, and mood. Although crafting dialogue is an art form that takes much time to master, there are three simple ways that anyone can use to instantly improve character dialogue and bolster their entire composition.

Skip Utterances: Many writers try to add realism to their dialogue simply by inserting every possible "umm" or "ah" in a sentence. This not only clutters the page, but also leaves nothing to the reader's imagination. Good dialogue, and good fiction in general, should show the reader events, not tell them. Instead of using an utterance, try using dashes sparingly to show abrupt stops. Use the story itself to show the reader how a character's dialogue sounds and leave it to their imagination.

Listen to Life: In order for any dialogue to sound natural, it must actually be natural. That is to say, what a character says should match their personality, age, and background. An elderly grandmother will won't usually say, "Yo, how's it hanging dawg?" in real life, so a similar character would usually follow that convention. Listen to the people in life, take note of how they speak and what that reflects about themselves. In order to sound realistic, dialogue must reflect reality.

Use Alternative Spelling Carefully: Although showing a character's pronunciation through spelling can be a useful tool for enriching dialogue, used to the extreme it simply becomes an annoyance. If a character's dialect is reflected in their unique pronunciation, keep the alternative spelling consistent. Do not purposely misspell too many words, so that the dialogue becomes hard to read. More often than not, the story itself will show the reader how a character sounds. If alternative spelling truly enhances a character's dialogue, plan to use it carefully, consistently, and sparingly.

Although this isn't an exhaustive list by any means, these three tips can help immensely when trying to quickly improve character dialogue. As with any craft however, the only way to truly improve is to practice. Just as no athlete can improve by sitting on her behind watching a film, no writer can improve without actually doing the real work of writing. A little bit of dialogue written every day will lead to significant improvements over time.