etheriabori

[etheriabori]

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Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

[etheriabori]

''I am writing for myself,'' i repeat as the views stay the same for the 407th time in the day

“First and foremost I’m writing for myself,” I hiss through my teeth, resisting the urge to refresh my email for an Ao3 message for the 100th time.

[etheriabori]

A fucking feeling y'all, all chapters

a good sailor will always return to the sea

[etheriabori]

Technique to (maybe) write that 'just vibes and vague scenes' plot!!

Hey, you've read it.

You might be that kind of writer that goes daydreaming hundreds and hundreds of scenes for your book... the scene of the betrayal, the falling in love, the revelation, that piece of dialogue you liked... a somewhat idea of a first, start scene, middle scene and the end of the book...

And no bare idea of how to connect them, right?

I was in the same spot (as a maladaptive daydreamer, too) So i found out not-so-recently a technique that just... fills it out for you. It is magic!

(and sorry for bad English - or long descriptions - if there are any, not my first language)

This is called the snowflake method, so if you know this you can skip this post. You have those beginning, middle, and end situations? Cool, now plaster them up into one sentence. That is the resume of your book; in one sentence. Doesn't make much sense? Don't worry, you'll expand off of this. You (sometimes) can't entirely describe a book's plot with just a sentence of long words.

Then, write the beginning in a sentence, then the middle in another sentence, and then the end of it... in another sentence. You can expand a little bit on what happens, if you have some idea.

Now, you write a paragraph, you may introduce characters, places, that ONE scene you absolutely fall in your knees for, whatever, keep it a paragraph. Or not, it is your planning. You get the gist of this, right?

And now, for the sweetest, juicy part. You can start writing per word count, or keep doing the paragraph thing (three paragraphs, five, eleven...). I state 500 as my word count (you can set yours higher if the paragraph is long enough) and go write it. The magic comes in, and you can suddenly connect things somehow. New ideas and old ones come into place, the keyboard becomes bathed in light of that m/m otp marvel coffee shop au you are writing, inspiration seeps in...

got carried away c': You can add those characters still and places and all those scenes you think will connect, and they somehow do. Don't ask me, ask the method. The plot is forming. You can go further than this and expand to 1000 words or 2000, go crazy! The most that works for you to plan.

This has worked SO HEAVENLY MUCH for me, that one fanfic writer whose first book of an arc was never finished, but now, on the way to. And if you have all those sparce ideas scattered, you should try this method too!

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...And if it didn't work, don't panic! Not every method is for everyone, you should keep searching, I'm sure you will find yours soon! Try and experiment, divide in chapters, use scenes or seven-act, join ideas and characters in those corkboards with pins like a manic (we've been that one guys), watch youtube tutorials...

Just know that if a method doesn't 'fit' you, it maybe won't, and that's fine! I believe in you writers. Ty for reading anyways!

Credits and grand thanks to the r/WritingHub, where I found the method originally, and the og poster (whose user wasn't written because pinterest)

May the malexmale ships be with ye!