Dialogue that sounds real (without being boring)

If you recorded a real conversation and typed it out, it would be full of “um”, small talk and repetition. Good dialogue sounds real, but it is far sharper than real speech.

Cut the small talk

“Hi.” “Hi, how are you?” “Fine, you?” Readers skip this. Start the conversation as late as possible, when something is already at stake.

Let characters avoid the question

“Did you take my phone?”
“Why would I want your phone?”
The answer is not a yes or a no, and that tells us far more.

Give each character a voice

A nervous character might talk in long, rushed sentences. A confident one might use short ones. Read the dialogue without the names. Can you tell who is speaking?

Use action instead of tags

“Fine.” She slammed the cupboard.
The action shows us how she feels, so there is no need for “she said angrily”.

Leave things unsaid

The most powerful dialogue often hides what characters really feel. The gap between what they say and what they mean is where readers lean in.

Try it: write a conversation in which two friends talk about homework, but are really talking about something else: an argument they had yesterday.