10 Best Tips For Writing Dialogue: Character Voice
- Jenna Moreci
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
Today we're talking about one of my favorite parts of the writing process, and that's dialogue. A lot of you have requested more videos about dialogue. So I put together all my tips and tricks just for you, ’cause I love you. In the near future, I will be giving you my tips and tricks for dialogue tags, as well as the technical side of dialogue like formatting and punctuation. However, today we are covering my ten tips for writing dialogue, specifically character voice. If you're struggling to create an enjoyable and believable voice for your character, I’ve gotcha covered.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!
Number 1: Get To Know Your Character’s Background
Believe it or not, understanding your character is pretty important for creating their dialogue. The first thing you're gonna want to consider when creating your character's voice is their background. For example, is your character rich or are they poor? These details alone could drastically change their voice.
A wealthy character may have extensive tutoring, and thus they may speak very eloquently. On the flip side, a wealthy character may be a spoiled brat so maybe every time they speak it's whiny and grating. A poor character might not have been able to afford school. So whenever they speak, it's simple and relies heavily on slang. Or a poor character might have experienced considerable hardship, which in turn breeds compassion. So whenever they speak, it's kind, considerate, and gentle.
Number 2: Get To Know Your Character’s Personality
This should go without saying, but personality is probably going to have the biggest impact on the way someone speaks. If a character is arrogant, then their dialogue is going to be pompous and braggy. If a character is a know-it-all, then their dialogue is going to consist of them showcasing all of their vast knowledge. The key is to make sure their dialogue realistically fits their personality, and also that it’s not one note.
Many people, but certainly not all of them, possess depth and layers. A shy character may not speak very much, because they're shy. However, maybe around the right person they can't seem to shut the hell up. Or when triggered, they aren't afraid to take a bitch down a peg. The better you know the character, the easier it will be to reflect their personality in the way they speak.
Number 3: Give Each Character Their Own Voice
How many books have you read, or movies have you watched, where all the characters have the same exact brand of sarcasm, or speak in the same flat, lifeless tone? A lot. When you give all the characters the same voice, you are broadcasting that they were written by the same person, which reminds the reader that they are not real.
You don't want the reader to feel like the story is fake. You want them to be immersed, everything should feel authentic. This means not every character gets to be the confident, wise-cracking badass you love to write. Some characters get to be intelligent, some get to be stupid, and some get to be sassy. It depends on their background, personality, and the role they play in the story.
Number 4: Voices Can Share Traits
Just because everyone has their own voice, doesn't mean that every single voice on this planet is 100% unique. We all have traits in common with people. For example, both Cliff and I are very chatty. But we're chatty in different ways. Cliff is really good at entertaining and charming a crowd, whereas I just get really excited about something and then ramble endlessly.
This is a concept a lot of writers forget. They'll deem one character as the comic relief, and that's it. They're the only person who's allowed to be funny. Except lots of people are funny. Maybe instead of having a cliche comic relief character, you can have one character who's a goofball, one who’s sarcastic, and one who is witty. These are three characters in total who are funny, but they are funny in completely different ways.
Number 5: Avoid Banal Pleasantries
“Good morning.”
“How did you sleep?”
“Beautiful day, isn't it?”
“The weather has been fickle, don't you think?”
No one gives a fuck.
“But Jennaaa, small talk is realistic.”
That may be true, but literally, no one enjoys small talk, which means if you're featuring it in your book, no one is gonna enjoy your book. Instead of writing out the most boring dialogue in the history of literature, just write in the narrative, “They exchanged pleasantries.” There you go. You have your realism summed up in three words, and the reader can move on to the good stuff.
Number 6: Sometimes You Can Write Pleasantries
Nine times out of ten you wanna avoid small talk in your dialogue unless it serves some greater purpose. Say your main character is having a horrible night terror. They're frozen in bed being bombarded by terrifying shadow figures. By the time they're able to wake up, they eventually have to cry themselves back to sleep. Then their mother says to them the next morning “Hey, honey. How’d you sleep?” And they respond, “Oh, just fine.”
Under any other circumstances, this would just be boring small talk. But in this situation, your character has just revealed to the reader that they are keeping secrets from their family. Why aren't they telling their mom about their horrific nightmares? What's really going on here? Small talk has its place in your dialogue if it tells a greater underlying story.
Number 7: Dialogue Is Vernacular
Your dialogue and your narrative should not sound the same. People don't speak in perfect grammar. They speak in run-ons, they speak in fragments, they use contractions. Do not be afraid to abandon proper English in your dialogue if it's realistic to the person speaking. No one is gonna think you're less of a writer just because you're portraying the way real people really speak. That's what you're supposed to do. I promise.
Number 8: Avoid the “As You Know” Exposition
Exposition in dialogue is a thing. Sometimes you need a character to explain information to another character so that it is indirectly explained to the reader. The thing is, this only works if the character they're speaking to is ignorant of the topic. For example, they're learning how to use their powers for the very first time.
Unless a character is being obnoxious or mansplaining, you should never write exposition in dialogue that the other character already knows about.
“As you know, the history of our realm goes like this.”
“Yes, another character, I do know this. Thanks for repeating it to me for no reason whatsoever.”
Find another way to deliver this information to the reader. Remember, exposition in the narrative is okay, provided it’s in small doses.
Number 9: Body Language
Dialogue is vital to a story but please don't forget that body language is just as important. Sometimes a lot more can be said by a character's body language than their voice. Their posture, facial expression, or the way they're carrying themselves can completely contradict what they're saying, or reveal their true thoughts and emotions.
Take the phrase, “I don't think so.” It can mean completely different things depending on the body language.
Say you furrow your brow. “I don't think so . . .”
Say you narrow your eyes. “I don't think so.”
Say you shrug. “I don't think so?”
The tone of the dialogue completely changes depending on the body language used at that moment.
Number 10: Show Don't Tell
One of the best uses of dialogue is to show concepts to the audience instead of telling them in the narrative. No one wants to read a line that states, “They had known each other since childhood and loved one another like sisters.” Wow, what a boring and unfulfilling way to communicate a concept that no one is going to care about.
Instead, you can showcase this relationship simply by writing out their dialogue. Show these two women sharing playful banter and have them share stories from their childhood. This clearly illustrates the depth of their relationship, without telling it to the reader at all. Plus, it's so much more entertaining and rewarding to experience.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Personality, voice, inflection, and body language work wonders on your dialogue, and learning how to balance these aspects while writing realistic conversations can transform your work. What’s your favorite dialogue tip from the list above? Or maybe you’ve heard another dialogue tip elsewhere that completely changed the game for you. Let me hear it in the comments!
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This was such a fun and genuinely helpful read! I appreciate how you explained each point with personality and humor - it made the Retro Bowl College advice feel way more approachable. The part about giving characters their own voice really hit home for me. I’ve read stories where everyone sounds the same, and it totally pulls you out of the world.