Four Tips to Writing Better Dialogue

Dialogue can be one of the most important parts of a story. It can be used to show more of a character's personality. It can be used to give backstory about a place or situation. It can even be used to set a story's mood. When done right, good dialogue can make a great story even better, but good dialogue isn't always easy. How can you write better dialogue?

Use "Said"

Many people say that using "said" too much in a story can be repetitive and take away from a story, but nothing takes away from dialogue more than constant synonyms for said. Using words like gasped, grumbled and cried may seem nice in theory, but words like those take away from dialogue by making the reader focus on the word. Because said is so common, readers often skip over it in their minds, leaving your dialogue to speak for yourself.

Read Aloud

After you're done writing your dialogue, read it aloud. Does it sound like something that could come out of your character's mouth? If not, rewrite it. Dialogue should sound natural and not forced, just like everyday language.

Don't Overdo Accents

If your character has an accent, it's okay to accentuate it in dialogue, but don't overdo it. It's important to find a balance between your character's accent and what is actually readable. If your character's accent reads too thick on paper, it can take away from your story and make it unnecessarily difficult to read.

Leave Out the Boring Stuff

It's important to know what's necessary in dialogue and what isn't. While having your characters have conversations can make for a very interesting story, them having mundane conversations can lead to a boring one. It's okay to leave out the boring things like "hello" and "how was your day".

Dialogue is a wonderful part of storytelling and is often a reader's favorite of a story, but dialogue's importance shouldn't make writers fearful of writing it. Follow these few tips and don't overthink your writing and you'll be writing great dialogue in no time.