5 Tips for Strengthening Your Dialogue

Great dialogue does more than just fill space—it reveals character, builds tension, and moves the story forward. Yet, writing natural, engaging conversation is one of the hardest things for writers. I'll be honest, writing dialogue is still one of the things I struggle with the most. But whether you're writing a snappy rom-com, a gritty crime thriller, or a fantasy, your dialogue needs to feel alive. If it sounds too stiff, too polished, or just plain boring, your readers will notice. So, here are five essential techniques to help you craft dialogue that sounds natural and drives your story forward!

---

Think About Verbs

Using "said” is fine, but it’s not the only word you can use to describe your characters' actions. Every once in a while, you should reconsider, "said," and opt for a stronger verb that can do more than just show who's speaking. When you utilize descriptive verbs, you can show how your characters are speaking, and not just that they are speaking. For instance, did they whisper, snap, mutter, argue, or bark? These kinds of tags can add personality to your scene if you use them sparingly. If you're needing some inspiration, click the button below for 100 synonyms of "said."

100 Synonyms For "Said" to Enhance Your Writing

Include Incomplete Sentences

Real people do not speak in completely perfect grammar all the time. That's why your characters shouldn't either. They should start and stop, trail off, and interrupt themselves. So, if you want to make your dialogue even more realistic, consider embracing your character's broken thoughts and letting them speak in fragments. This especially works when a character is emotional, flustered, or hiding something, and you want to display it physically. For instance, you could write, “I mean, if I had just—never mind." Or maybe you write, “Wait, you think I—what? You think I wanted this?” Adding incomplete sentences like this adds humanism to your characters and helps illustrate their emotion. But, at the same time, make sure not all your dialogue is incomplete, as it could be confusing for readers.

Keep Lines Short

Relating to the previous point, it's a good idea to keep your lines of dialogue short. If your dialogue is long, it better be on purpose. (For example, a character is giving a speech.) Most of the time, though, dialogue works best when it’s short and punchy. Quick exchanges build rhythm, tension, and help pace your story overall. Long speeches slow everything down unless there’s a strong reason. So, if you do need to include speeches of dialogue or longer lines, break them up with beats, interruptions, or responses to keep it succinct.

Limit the Names

You may want to have your characters call other characters by their names all the time, but think about it first. Unless someone’s trying to get someone’s attention, being formal, or really wanting to make a point, we don’t usually drop names in every sentence. In fact, overusing names can just feel awkward and robotic. As a result, limit the number of times your characters say each other's names in dialogue. You may want to only use them when they display emotion or make narrative sense. For an example of clunky vs more natural dialogue, look below!

Clunky Dialogue:

“Jessica, Jessica, listen to me. Jessica, we don’t have time. You have to go now, Jessica.”

Natural Dialogue:

“Listen to me, Jess. We don’t have time. You have to go. Now!"

Don't Make it Perfect

Your dialogue shouldn't be perfect. In real life, people repeat themselves. We say the wrong thing, and we backtrack. So, if you want to create great dialogue, you need to capture that. If your characters always say the perfect line at the perfect time, it starts to feel fake. As a result, it's important for you to let your characters stumble a little. Your characters should ramble, contradict themselves, and yell.

The good news is that with the strategic adjustments above, you can transform flat dialogue into something fun, authentic, and full of personality! Remember that dialogue isn’t just about what your characters say—it’s how they say it, why they say it, and what they don’t say. Happy writing!