Crafting Memorable Dialogue That Serves Story and Character

Great dialogue does three things simultaneously: it reveals character, advances the plot, and sounds like something real people would say. Here's how to achieve all three.

Subtext Over Exposition

Characters rarely say what they mean directly. The best dialogue operates on two levels—what's being said and what's really being communicated. A character asking "Are you okay?" might actually be saying "I need you to be okay because I can't handle your pain right now."

Exercise: Rewrite a scene where characters say exactly what they mean, then rewrite it again where they say the opposite but mean the same thing.

Voice and Rhythm

Each character should have a distinct voice. Consider:

• Vocabulary: Does your character use technical terms, slang, or formal language?
• Sentence length: Terse and direct, or verbose and meandering?
• Rhythm: Do they interrupt, pause, or speak in complete thoughts?

Dialogue as Action

Dialogue isn't just talking—it's characters doing things to each other with words. Every line should have an objective. Is your character trying to:

• Persuade
• Conceal
• Provoke
• Comfort
• Manipulate

When dialogue has clear objectives, conflict emerges naturally.

The Rule of Three

If a character needs to say something important, have them try three times:

1. First attempt: They hint at it
2. Second attempt: They're more direct but still guarded
3. Third attempt: They say what they really mean

This creates natural escalation and gives the audience the satisfaction of earned revelation.

Cutting the Fat

Most first drafts have too much dialogue. Read your scenes aloud and cut:

• Anything that's purely informational (show it instead)
• Lines that repeat what the audience already knows
• Words that don't reveal character or advance plot

Final tip: Record yourself reading your dialogue. If it sounds awkward coming out of your mouth, it'll sound awkward on screen.