For writers

Having trouble writing dialog? Here you go! 1. Basic rules of formatting - Each line starts with a new line. - A dash is placed before the line or quotation marks are used (depending on the style and language of writing). - If after the rejoinder there is an action or a description of intonation, it is written with a small letter and without a dot before it. Example: - Are you sure? - He asked, frowning. “Are you sure?” - he asked, frowning. 2. Naturalness of speech - Colloquial language: use short phrases, turns of phrase, interjections (“well”, “uh”, “damn”). - Abbreviations: “IDK” instead of “I don't know” if it fits the character. - Characters shouldn't talk “by rote” - add caveats, pauses, change of subject. Bad: "Hello Maria. I've come to inform you that your brother went missing last night." Better: "Mary... have you seen Mark? He didn't come back last night." 3. Character through speech - Educated character: complex sentences, rare words. - Ordinary person: slang, simple phrases, grammatical errors. - Angry character: harsh, chopped phrases. - Nervous: cuts off sentences, repeats words. Example: Scientist: "According to my calculations, the probability of success does not exceed 23.7%." Teenager: "Well, like, there's almost no chance, okay?" 4. Avoid “empty” dialogs Dialogue should: - Reveal character. - Move the plot along. - Give information (but not “directly”). Bad (unnecessary domesticity): "Did you eat?" "Yes, I ate." "What did you eat?" "Soup." Better (dialog with subtext): "Soup again?" she pushed the plate. "There's nothing else," he muttered, looking out the window. 5. Descriptions and actions in dialogs - Add gestures, facial expressions, and actions between lines. - This brings the scene to life and shows emotion without direct explanation. Example without action (boring): "You tricked me." "No, I just didn't tell the whole truth." With action (better): "You tricked me." She unclenched her fingers and the letter fell to the floor. "No," he turned away, "I just didn't tell the whole truth." 6. Pace and rhythm - Tense scenes: short lines, lots of action. - Lyrical moments: long monologues, pauses. Fighting (fast): "Down!" He shouted, grabbing her arm. A shot rang out. "Run!" Soulful Conversation (slowly): You know, I often think about that day..." She ran her finger along the rim of the glass. "Which one?" "When you decided to stay." 7. Avoid - Long monologues (unless the character is a professor or a villain telling the hero about the delights of his sides ☻). - Repetitions of the same information. - “Telepathy” (characters should not respond to unvoiced thoughts). Bad: "How did you know I like oranges?" "I mean, you were thinking about it five minutes ago!" 8. Check the dialog Read it aloud: - Does it sound like real speech? - Can you guess who is speaking without attribution? - Is it not overloaded with unnecessary details?

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An example of good dialog "You're drunk again,” she said without looking up. "A little." He smirked, dropping his keys. "Tomorrow morning you won't be laughing." "Tomorrow morning I'll be dead,” he flopped down on the couch. She stood up abruptly and slammed the door. (Seen here: conflict, characters, subtext, action). Dialogue writing is quite a complicated thing. You have to consider genre, characters, setting, and many other things. I hope my tips have helped you.