Dialogue is what the characters in your short story, poem, novel, play, screenplay, personal essay—any kind of creative writingwhere characters speak—say out loud. For a … See more

There are two broad types of dialogue writers employ in their work: inner and outer dialogue. Inner dialogueis the dialogue a character has inside their head. This inner dialogue ca… See more

Dialogue is a break from a story’s prose narrative. Formatting it properly makes this clear. When you’re writing dialogue, follow these formatting guidelines: 1. In US English, dia… See more

When you’re writing dialogue, avoid these common pitfalls: 1. Using a tag for every piece of dialogue:Dialogue tags are words like saidand asked. Once you’ve establishe… See more

Write how people actually speak
You want your characters to sound like real people. Real people don’t always speak in complete sentences or use proper grammar. … See more