#104: 10 Tips For Writing Better Dialogue

Fiction Writing Made Easy

In today’s episode, I’m sharing my top 10 tips for writing stronger, more impactful dialogue in your novel. Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[02:00] Tip #1: Make sure your dialogue serves a purpose in the overarching story.
[03:00] Tip #2: Think of your dialogue as action vs. exposition (or active vs. passive).
[06:09] Tip #3: Get clear on each character’s goal and motivation within a scene.
[07:43] Tip #4: Make sure your dialogue is ripe with conflict and tension.
[10:02] Tip #5: Check that your dialogue sounds right for your genre and tone.
[11:15] Tip #6: Ensure each character has a unique and rich vocabulary.
[13:13] Tip #7: Curate your dialogue to show readers only what they need to see.
[14:30] Tip #8: Keep your dialogue short and to the point.
[16:16] Tip #9: Aim to have your dialogue do more than one thing—and include subtext.
[18:19] Tip #10: Use dialogue to help you control your story’s pacing.
[20:17] Final thoughts and episode recap.
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Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ep. 92 - The 5 Functions of Dialogue in Your Story

FREE RESOURCE: Need help getting started with your story? This workbook will help you flesh out the foundational elements of your story so you can start writing with confidence and ease. Get your free copy here →

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