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How to Write REALISTIC and SMOOTH Dialogue

In a story, dialogue is quite important, it helps the readers paint a picture of what's happening and the characters themselves. However, it can be difficult to avoid the unnaturalness and choppiness that comes with a lack of experience. But luckily, I have put together A LOT of advice on how you can get over that rockiness and improve!

*** KEEPING YOUR DIALOGUE REALISTIC, AND PACING ***

>> Keep your characters in character:

Dialogue is a remarkably quick way for readers to determine your character's personality. Thus, you want their speech patterns to remain fairly consistent so the audience won't get confused. If your character is more serious, then they will use less slang and perhaps a more impressive vocabulary. If your character is more relaxed, they will use more slang and compress the words. (such as "dunno," "kay," "y'know," etc.)

Basically, you want their tone to match their traits so the way that they talk is more realistic and personlized to themselves. If the way all your characters speak is the same, there's something wrong. A strong tip is to put yourself in your character's shoes and imagine how they would respond!

>> Take the situation into consideration:

This is another part of keeping your characters in, well, character. Different emotional situations will have a different effect on separate people, so make sure that you have an idea of how your character will act during stressful, irritating, and sad times.

If your character is normally cold, they will struggle if it comes to comforting other people because they have less experience in that field.

>> Don't take too long with their words:

Unlike when narrating something, most people talk just to get the idea across. They will be more specific and quicker with what they say. (This excludes any character who likes to talk a lot.) Unless it's on purpose, they won't dance around the topic. Think of when you casually chat with your friends; you're pretty unlikely to use certain words and/or phrases that might be common to use while narrating.

If you want to explain something complicated, instead of writing out a paragraph of just one person talking, use a question-and-answer prompt! This is where another character continuously asks related questions that get answered by another person, so you can indirectly reveal your explanation.

*** HOW TO WRITE A SMOOTHER CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE TAGS***

>> Having a variety of dialogue tags:

This is a pretty basic thing to look out for if you're new to writing conversations. Using words like "said," every other sentence can easily make it feel choppy and robotic. Instead, use words like "murmured," "smirked," etc. to paint some emotion into their words. Additionally, vary the location of the dialogue tags! They don't all have to go after the statement, you can include something in the beginning or even the middle, too!

Examples:

Beginning - She tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"

Middle - "Oh," he blinked, "I actually never thought about that."

End - "Wait up!" She exclaimed loudly, waving her hands around.

>> Using no dialogue tags to create a smooth conversation:

Having too many tags can also overwhelm your reader--remember, sentence variety is a crucial part of writing--so you can always drop them if they're unneeded. This applies when your characters (two is the suggested amount) are talking back and forth in a pattern straightforward enough for the reader to understand who's talking without it having to be labeled.

Dropping dialogue tags in these moments can create a smoother atmosphere during the conversation because the reader only has to focus on the talking present.

*** USING SLANG, STUTTERS, FILLER WORDS, AND PAUSES ***

Human speech is often not perfect; when talking, we often make mistakes such as filler words, grammatically incorrect phrases, etc. Hence, for more natural-sounding dialogue, it's important to incorporate some of these.

>> Pauses and stutters:

When reading dialogue, we read it at a steady pace unless it's written otherwise. However, that steady pace can soon get too robotic and too smooth. Luckily, there are several ways to change this! You can use dialogue tags, (ex: she quickly spoke) commas, and ellipsis (...). These are often integrated when the character is hesitant, nervous, answering something, or when they need to admit something. The same idea applies to stutters--they're mainly used to demonstrate anxiousness, which can be found in varying situations.

>> Filler words and slang:

Filler words can really just be used where you see fit. They may be used in the situations I previously mentioned (because it shows someone stumbling over their words) but it's ultimately up to you!

Slang, just like everything else, should not be used too often, or it will seem forced and exaggerated. The point is to sound natural, and increasing amounts of repetitiveness can ruin it. It's also important to remember that in real life, our conversations move slower; when someone speaks, another person usually doesn't respond quite literally, right after. However, in writing, dialogue can actually often seem that way, which is why using tags and these imperfections of speech is pivotal for building a realistic conversation!

*** CONCLUSION ***

Lastly, a key point when writing dialogue is to ALWAYS read the conversations! Whether it be in your head or out loud, it can often help you catch anything that seems off! Additionally, like I mentioned at the very beginning, write dialogue from your character's perspective! Imagine yourself as them and how they/you would talk. Try to keep your dialogue tags, sentences, and word use varied to create a natural conversation!

If you were struggling before, I hope that this (extra) long guide was able to really offer you some insight and useful tips! If you read this far, thank you!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[icyowl]

“You just have to say to yourself “I’m not willing to accept anything less for myself than what I deserve. I am smart. I am beautiful. I am a good woman, and I deserve to be happy.”

— Amari Soul

[icyowl]

site that you can type in the definition of a word and get the word

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

site that gives you synonyms and antonyms

[icyowl]

Would you rather I...?

Post unfinished WIPs so I post more regularly?

Or only post finished works, meaning ones I never get around to completing will never be shown?

I haven't posted much lately partly because the last few ideas haven't been completed before I run out of steam/inspiration/move onto something else. I'd like to post as much as I can (unfinished stuff more regularly) but I don't want you to read stuff that ends right before the good parts haha. Plus sometimes I go back to something months later and finish it which would involve deleting and reposting it if/when I do that. But I've got stuff lying around that some people might like to read even though its not done and I don't want it to never see the light of day. I'd like some input if you have any 😁

[icyowl]

“Exorcise. Consume. For whom?”

[icyowl]

Neuvi wanna go for a ride?

[icyowl]

il capitano

[icyowl]

I couldn't stop thinking about the quirkless AU all day. I think Bakugo would be a martial arts fighter in a world without quirks

[icyowl]

Hosu Trio

|21082023

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ぃつき

[icyowl]

Reza Abbbasi  -  https://rezaabbbasi.tumblr.com  -  https://www.instagram.com/rezaabbbasi  -  https://rezaabbbasi.com  -  https://www.facebook.com/reza.abbasim  -  https://ir.linkedin.com/in/reza-abbbasi-533684172

[icyowl]

i have an idea… y’all wanna see ice skater!reader x hockey player!geto..?

it’s here!

[icyowl]

The King.

There is a new boxing-themed anime (?) and twitter is losing their mind cause one of the characters is supposed to be a Gojo lookalike. They all wanted to see Gojo in a boxer AU. So what do I? The only logical response was to draw Sukuna as a boxer champion!

...this is just half of the truth. A while ago I came across a fanfiction by a very talented writer, @cxmplexity , which just shattered my heart in the best way. I wanted to do this since that, and a lot more!

(Some dynamic poses, cool outfits... or maybe even Toji?)

Not only am I head-over-heels for this guy, I also developed a bittersweet connection to pro boxing in my very very early childhood, which lasted till I was about 12-14. Thinking back, heavy weight champions may also be responsible for my taste in men today... So yeah, that story is very special to me.

Dear Author, if you see this: thank you.

[icyowl]

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[icyowl]

Last episode was certainly something 🫦

[icyowl]

im not that knowledgeable in omegaverse but man oh man…a-…alpha prohero de k u……,.,.,.,,,.,,………… BRO I AM S W E A T I N G OVER THIS HUNK. THE SPEED MY KNEES WOULD BUCKLE–