Definition
Dialogue is the written representation of characters speaking to each other. But here's the secret that separates good dialogue from great dialogue: fictional conversation is nothing like real conversation. Real people ramble, repeat themselves, and say 'um' a lot. Great dialogue is carefully crafted to sound natural while doing heavy narrative work - revealing character, building relationships, delivering information, and driving conflict. Every line should do at least two of those things simultaneously.
Why It Matters
Dialogue is often the first thing readers notice when they pick up your work. Stiff dialogue makes your whole story feel wooden, no matter how good the plot is. Natural, sharp dialogue makes characters feel alive and pulls readers through scenes at speed. It's also one of the most efficient tools you have - a single line of dialogue can reveal a character's personality, advance the plot, and create tension all at once.
Types of Dialogue
Famous Examples
A couple discusses 'an operation' without ever naming it. The entire story is dialogue, and the real conversation - about their relationship and a pregnancy - happens entirely in subtext.
Rooney writes dialogue without quotation marks, blurring the line between speech and thought, making conversations feel intimate and urgent.
Mattie Ross's formal, precise dialogue style - 'I would not put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains' - establishes her character instantly.
Common Mistakes
Cover the character names and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Each character should have distinct vocabulary, rhythm, and speech patterns.
If a character says 'As you know, we've been friends for fifteen years since that day at summer camp,' no human being talks like that. Find a natural reason for the information to come up.
Replace 'she said angrily' with action that shows the anger: 'She set down her glass. "Get out."' The dialogue and the action should carry the emotion, not the tag.
Real conversation is full of filler words, false starts, and boring small talk. Fictional dialogue should feel natural but be edited down to the essential beats.
Try It Yourself
Write a dialogue scene between two characters who are fighting about something trivial (whose turn it is to do the dishes, who forgot to lock the door) but are actually fighting about something much bigger underneath (trust, respect, growing apart). Never mention the real issue directly. Let it live entirely in word choice, tone, and what gets left unsaid. Aim for one page.
Give every character their own voice
Novelium's character tracking helps you maintain distinct speech patterns, vocabulary choices, and verbal habits for each character so your dialogue always sounds like the right person is talking.