10 Rules For Writing Great Dialogue

Dialogue is an ongoing conversation (ba-dum-dum) between authors and editors because it is one of the trickiest aspects of writing and a vital piece of your story.

Today we're talking about my top 10 rules on how to write great dialogue – these are the code I live by when I do my editing, when talking with my authors, and even on the odd occasion I find myself needing to write dialogue.

Visit my website for more writing tips!

Sign up for one of my courses on writing and self-publishing!

Let's connect!
Instagram: @susanbarnesediting
Twitter: @sbarnesq2

Watch Next:

Don't forget to subscribe to my channel if you'd like to see more!

#authortube #writing #books #fantasyfiction #indieauthor #scififantasy

[koobzandthekeys]

I swear I could hear that drum-set fill at 0:28, loud and clear 🥁.

I thought I would try my hand at writing a dialogue showing where someone comes from:

As I slowly approached the food-laden table, someone jumped at me from behind, causing me to spill the rest of the sparkling water I had in my glass over the tuxedo I rented for the night.
'Ei, Jerry! Como esta? Long time, no see, eh?'
It was Carlo, whom indeed I hadn't seen in years, the last time being at a casino in downtown Boston in 1992.
'So what are you doing here, eh?' - he asked, with a huge grin from left to right displaying his pearly-white (and presumably pricey) dentures.
'Hey, Carlo! Just enjoying the evening, you know... Well -- I'm here to do some business as well, to tell you the truth...'
'What a-business?'
'You see... Can we -- Can we go off to the side for a second, please?' (...)

Regardless of any possible language mistakes (or - God forbid! - casuing any offence; definitely not my intention here), it was fun writing it! 🙃

Regards👋

[velvetbees]

One of the best examples of the power of dialogue I have seen is the book Pulp by Charles Bukowski. You can see a sample on the big A. I can't put the name, but everyone knows what it is. It is almost all dialogue, and it is ingenious how he kept the flow perfect. It is a gritty read, but so ingenious. I loved it so much, I bought the book just for the beauty of how ingeniously he wrote it.

[JoleCannon]

For accents, I try not write in an accent. For instance, a character moved to the states at 10. So, When he's talking to the MC. So, for instance:

“It’s good to see you, Bernard.” Rory broke the hug. His family moved from Scotland when he was ten and he still held a hint of a Scottish accent.

[jyjaeskz]

I think said is good but you generally don't wanna use it twice in a row. And I specifically mean like:
"Dialogue, " she said.
"Yeah, dialogue, " he said.

You should still use it way more than other dialogue tags tho, and if there's other stuff between the dialogue then that's fine but generally (unless you're intentionally using repetition) using the same word twice so close together isn't very good even if the word is said.

[oldguyinstanton]

This is great advice. I've added these points to an index card for my "how-to" wall, behind my monitor.

[VinnyTheory]

I feel like asked, whispered, and muttered are like “B-tier said’s” where the reader still basically reads over it without interruption but acknowledges the difference in tone of voice. Is that just me?

[zedkuchalo]

The algorithm is strange. Such an informative, to the point video should have much more views. Im glad you popped up on my feed ❤

[Finnleigh.Jackson]

A lot of "said" bothers me during reading. It also bothered me in the Potter books. I don't consider it as white noise.

[JoleCannon]

I have a question. So, if a character finishes saying something and then there is an action. Do I put a period at the end of the dialogue and the start the new sentence with the action, or use said, the action.

Example from my own WIP:

Bernard drained his soda and set the glass on the bar, “I need to get out of here, ” he growled. “I can’t be the only bear who likes other bears.” He stormed towards the door.

Is this proper for the scene?

EDIT: Should have waited until the end of the video. Haha. Thanks.

[albertocatania]

Can I ask you a small piece of advice? If I have a character that in a specific moment will laugh like in this dialogue. (<< Youlucky bastard! OK, let’s see what the future holds for you. It will be fun. hahaha! >> The figure said touching Alex’s righteye, and laughing maniacally before vanishing.) How can I change that hahaha? it sounds bad to me and I cannot find a way to get rid of it.

[JoleCannon]

I'm adding this to my writing videos. I just finished the 1st draft of my debut novel and I'm trying to tighten it up. I find I use a lot of dialogue, and this will help me make sure I have the right amount.

[shadethedon]

12:25 you said: narrative and action " beats "

Can i ask you what is a beat ?

[juansorel]

Terrible, terrible advise... Dialog is a form of action. Action is the best form of Dialog. Dialog It's a tool for the character to achieve his goal. usually It's the opposite of what he is really thinking and feeling. The best form of bulletproof your dialog is reading it out loud. Here it is. Your welcome...