The trick that fixed my dialogue problem after 3 years

I kept writing stiff conversations and couldn't figure out why. Then I read a post saying to read each line out loud, so I tried it on my last story and realized my characters all sound like they're giving a speech. Now I write the first draft like I'm texting a friend, then clean it up later.

2 comments

2 Comments

simonl1113d ago

Huh, I gotta disagree a bit lol. Reading dialogue out loud is solid advice for catching flow issues, but writing like you're texting a friend is exactly how my characters ended up saying "idk lol" every third line. I found it better to write dialogue with a specific rhythm in mind, like how different people pause or cut each other off. It took me a while to realize my characters sounded stiff because I was avoiding those natural interruptions and hesitations.

hugo_bennett13d ago

My own breakthrough came when I realized I was writing every character's dialogue like they were me. I had three characters all saying "in my experience" and "your mileage may vary" because that's how I talk. I started recording real conversations at family dinners to study how people actually interrupt each other and trail off. It's amazing how much rhythm matters, like how my sister always talks in short bursts while my dad rambles for five minutes before getting to his point.