Learning how to write dialogue can be tough for some without Basic Dialogue Rules All Writers Should

Should Follow
the right guidance. Before we get into the actual formatting and styles of writing
This is why we started Fundamentals of Fiction & Story in the dialogue (along with some tips for making sure
first place. We wanted to give writers the skills and knowledge it’s good dialogue), let’s go over some of the common and
they needed to take an idea and turn it into a bestselling novel universal rules for writing dialogue in any book genre.
(and even potentially a full-time career). Here are the main rules for writing dialogue:
But unless you plan on writing a textbook, you must learn
how to properly create dialogue—and use it correctly 1. Each speaker gets a new paragraph. Every time
because yes, there is a wrong way to present dialogue (and
we’ll get into that later). someone speaks, you show this by creating a new
Without effective dialogue, even the best plot or book paragraph. Yes, even if your characters are only
ideas will fall flat. Your efforts for successfully publishing a
book that reads well will be ineffective. Writing well is the saying one word, they get new paragraphs.
cornerstone of marketing your book. Ultimately, your reader’s
reviews of your book will hold weight. 2. Each paragraph is indented. The only exception for
Because if the dialogue is bad… Readers will put the book this is if it’s the start of a chapter or after a scene
down (because the dialogue is often what readers pay the most
attention to). break, where the first line is never indented,
But if you’re not sure how to write dialogue in a way that is
not only natural but also works as a catalyst within your including with dialogue.
book, the process of writing a book can be even more daunting
3. Punctuation for what’s said goes inside the
than it already is.
quotation marks. Any time the punctuation is a part
You can’t write a book without dialogue—and you can’t write of the person speaking, they go inside the quotes so
a good book without good dialogue (even if you’re writing a
nonfiction book!). the reader knows how the dialogue is said.
In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about 4. Long speeches with several paragraphs don’t have
how to write dialogue, including dialogue format, dialogue
punctuation, examples of dialogue with grammar, and end quotations. You’ll see more on this below, but
common dialogue mistakes to avoid.
We’ll also cover, in detail, how to write realistic dialogue. overall, if one character is speaking for so long they
Here’s what to know about writing dialogue:
have separate paragraphs, the quotation marks on the
1. Dialogue Rules
end are removed, but you start the next paragraph
2. Format & Punctuation
with them.
3. Examples
5. Use single quotes if the person speaking is quoting
4. Tips for Dialogue
someone else. If you have a character who says,
5. Say the dialogue out loud
“Man, don’t you love it when girls say, ‘I’m fine’?”,
6. Cut small talk when writing dialogue
the single quotes indicate what someone else says.
7. Keep your dialogue brief and impactful
6. Skip the small talk and focus on important
8. Give each character a unique voice
information only. Unless that small talk is relevant
9. Add world-appropriate slang
for character development, skip it and get to the
10. Be consistent with the characters’ voices
point, this isn’t real life and will actually
11. Remember who they’re speaking to
feel more fake if you have too much.
12. Avoid long dialogue paragraphs Dialogue Punctuation and Format
When it comes to book formatting, dialogue is one of the most
13. Cut out greetings difficult to get right.
14. Show who your character is It’s not that it’s especially complicated, but there are many
different types of dialogue and many different types of
15. Mistakes to avoid punctuation (including when to use a comma, quotes, and even
em dashes) needed in order to properly format it.
Ready to learn what makes great dialogue? Let’s get started. Therefore, it’s easy to get confused or forget which format you
should use for which line of dialogue.
The basics for the format of dialogue is that each time a new Note that the tag, when following a comma within the
person speaks, it’s a new paragraph with quotes around what quotation marks, is lowercase, as it’s a part of the overall
they said. sentence.
In order to fully understand how to format dialogue, you have Dialogue Example 3: Questions
to know how to punctuate it properly, depending on the form Because a question mark seems like the end of a sentence, it’s
you’re using. easy for most writers to get the format for questions when
The one thing most writers get wrong when they’re first writing dialogue wrong.
starting out is proper dialogue format. But it’s actually pretty easy. Essentially, a question mark will
Sure, you could leave that up to the editor, but the more work be treated as a comma or period. What changes the formatting
for your editor, the more expensive they’ll be. most is what follows the dialogue.
Plus, it’s important that, as serious writers and future authors, Example:
you know how to punctuate dialogue no matter what. “Are you sure we have to leave that early?” she wondered
That also means editors will be able to focus on more complex aloud.
edits instead of just punctuation. Here are some examples of writing questions in dialogue:
Dialogue punctuation is complex and takes some time to learn,
understand, and master.  “Will you ever stop being a child?” she asked.
While we go into more depth with dialogue in
our Fundamentals of Fiction program, here are some dialogue  “What about that man over there?” he whispered,
examples of each and how you would punctuate them. pointing in a old gentleman’s direction. “Doesn’t he
Dialogue Example 1: Single Line
Single lines of dialogue are among the easiest to write and look odd too?”
remember. The punctuation for this dialogue is simple:
 “What’s the big deal, anyway?” she huffed.
The quotations go on the outside of both the words and end-
of-dialogue punctuation (in this case a period, but it’s the same
for a comma, question mark, or exclamation point). In this example above, you can see that if there is a dialogue
Example: tag, the question mark will act as a comma and you will
“You really shouldn’t have done that.” then lowercase the first word in the dialogue tag (unless it’s a
person’s name).
However, if there is simply an action after the question, the
No matter what other punctuation you have, whether it’s a question mark acts as a period and you will then capitalize the
question mark or exclamation point, it will go on the inside of first word in the next sentence.
the quotations.
Dialogue Example 4: Dialogue Tag, then single line
Dialogue Example 2: Single line with a dialogue tag When it comes to formatting dialogue tags before your
In this case, “tag” means dialogue tag. character speaks, it’s essentially the same as when they come
A dialogue tag is anything that indicates which character after, except backward.
spoke and describes how they spoke. As you can see in the example above, the dialogue tag is in
Here are some common examples of dialogue tags: front, followed by a comma outside of the quotations. Then
 He said the quotations appear when the sentence starts with that
sentence’s punctuation inside the quotations at the end.
 She whispered Example:
He finally said, “Fine. Let’s just go for it.”
 They bellowed Here are a few more examples of this type of dialogue, as
it’s very common:
 He hollered
 They hung their head and mumbled, “It’s fine if you
 They sniped
don’t want me to come.”
 She huffed
 She huffed, “Well that’s just great, isn’t it?”
 He cooed
 He drew in a long breath and spoke, “I’m just not
 They responded
In the example below, you can see that the dialogue tag goes sure what to do anymore.”
on the outside of the quotations, while the comma goes on
the inside.
Example: Dialogue Example 5: Body language description
“You really shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered. There are a couple of different types of body language
dialogue formats to learn.
This is the case with any dialogue tags that are used. You can Variation 1:
also see how this dialogue formatting works with different This is when the actions your character is taking come
types of sentences and different dialogue tags. between lines of dialogue but after a sentence is complete. In
real life, this would indicate someone pausing to complete the
action.
Example: You can see in this example that you place an Em Dash (—)
“I don’t see what the big deal is.” She tossed a braid over her right at the end of the sentence, followed by the quotation
shoulder. “It’s not like she cared anyway.” marks.
Here’s what this dialogue example looks like: You’ll treat this format of dialogue much like example 1, a
single line of dialogue.
 “Are you sure we should go this weekend?” She
Dialogue Example 7: Dialogue tag in the middle of a line
shoved the curtain aside, sneering at the greying Another common type of dialogue. This is essentially a mix of
a single line with a dialogue tag.
clouds. “It could be a mess out there.” Example:
“You really shouldn’t have done that,” she murmured. “That
 “What’s the big deal, anyway?” He yanked the sheet
will get you in a lot of trouble.”
from the envelope. “It’s not like you cared for her all
that much.” Mostly, you will use this type in order to indicate who is
talking if there are more than two and in order to keep the
 “Let’s go to the moon!” She twirled, her pale pink focus on the dialogue itself and not the character’s actions.
dress lifting around her. “We could make it, I know Dialogue Example 8: Paragraphs of dialogue
There are certain situations that call for a single character to
we could.” speak for a long time. However, grammatically, not all of what
Below is a detailed explanation of how you would format this they say will belong in the same paragraph.
type of dialogue: Example: single speaker
“It’s not that I don’t think you should have done that. Not
exactly.
Variation 2: “Actually, I think it might be a great thing for you to have
With this dialogue formatting, it’s different because this is done. I’m just worried about what will happen next and how
when a character does something while they are speaking, that will impact everyone else.”
instead of pausing like in variation 1. The action happens in
the middle of a sentence and has to be formatted as such.
Example: For writing dialogue paragraphs, you want to leave the
“I don’t see what”—she tossed a braid over her shoulder quotations off the end of the paragraph and begin the next
—”the big deal is.” paragraph with them in order to indicate that the same person
Here are some dialogue examples of this formatting: is just telling a long story.
[NOTE: These dialogue rules apply to American English.
 “It’s really just”—he rubbed his hand over his stubble Other parts of the world may use different dialogue
formatting, including single quotations and more.]
—”the most frustrating thing I can think of.”
 “If you’re not going to”—she grabbed his face—”at
How to Create Dialogue That’s Realistic and Effective
least listen to me, I don’t see the point in even Great dialogue is hard to get right. For something we do and
hear every day, knowing what to make your characters say in
trying.” order to move the plot forward and increase intrigue isn’t easy.
You can see the proper formatting for this dialogue below: But that’s why we’ve broken it down into easy steps for
writing dialogue for you.
You would use this to help build a clearer image and Here are some of the best tips for writing dialogue that feels
communicate the scene to match how it is in your head. real but is also effective for moving every part of your
This is also the case when characters have inner thoughts story forward.
within their dialogue, as seen in the second example in #1 – Say it out loud first
variation 2. One of the easiest and best ways to see if your dialogue
Dialogue Example 6: Single line getting cut off sounds realistic is to read it out loud, especially if you are
Something that happens in real life (sometimes an irritatingly writing a genre that would benefit from such an approach.
large amount) is getting cut off or interrupted when you’re Hearing what someone is supposed to say (since your readers
speaking. will imagine them speaking out loud) will allow you to
This typically happens when someone either doesn’t care what determine if it sounds real or fake.
you’re talking about or when two people are in an argument One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes your
and end up speaking over one another. dialogue will sound a little “cheesy” to you. Since written
Example: dialogue is a little different and more purposeful than what
“Are you crazy—” we hear in our day-to-day lives, you might think it sounds
“Do not call me crazy.” a little dramatic—and that’s okay. It just can’t
be unrealistic.
But that’s okay! Dialogue should have more “weight” than
what you say in real life.
Even so, it has to sound like something someone would Another way you can do this is with sentence structure.
actually say. If you feel yourself cringing a little or you can’t Does your character speak in short, chopped sentences? Or do
imagine a real person saying it, you might have to do some they eloquently describe their point of view in long-winded,
editing. A good, creative writer can hear the difference. crafted sentences that ebb and flow with their tone of voice?
Ask these questions when reading your dialogue out loud Do they use a lot of analogies and metaphors when explaining
to yourself: things or is this character extremely literal and gets right to the
point?
1. Would someone actually say this in real life? This difference is very important. Your readers should be
2. Does it move the plot forward or develop a character? able to tell the difference between characters based on
their sentences and diction. It ultimately comes down to
3. Is it easy to say or do you fumble over the sentence? your chops as an author when it comes to writing styles and
your ability to use it to bring your characters alive.
4. Do you pause in certain areas where A reasonable exception to this would be pairs or groups of
close people. Meaning, if your main character’s best friend
you haven’t written commas? (Note: if this happens,
speaks similarly to them, that’s okay. As humans, we
put in some commas so the readers interpret it how subconsciously pick up on the speech patterns of those closest
to us – those we speak to regularly (like when we use similar
you hear it!) slang in our friend group that others may not use).
Extra dialogue tip: Record yourself reading your dialogue in #5 – Add world-appropriate slang
what you imagine your characters to sound like and play it A major part of the dialogue that often gets overlooked is the
back to yourself. This can help you pinpoint which words or slang.
phrases sound off. Even in our own world, new slang is developed every day and
#2 – Get rid of the small talk sometimes, the words might seem crazy or even confusing.
Your readers don’t care about what your characters had for Take the term “fleek” for example. This word looks like it
dinner last night—unless that dinner had been poisoned and is would be a herd of some sort of animal.
now seeping into their bloodstream, impacting their immediate But in fact, it’s a word being “on point” or “sharp.”
danger. The point is, creating unique slang for your world can add to
When writing a novel, talking about the weather or your the dialogue and tell you more about the characters who use it,
character’s pet or anything trivial will read as boring and not to mention build your world effortlessly.
unnecessary. Here’s an example of slang from Jenna Moreci’s, EVE: The
This also slows down your novel’s pacing. Awakening. This book is set in the near future and so Moreci
One exception may be if your characters are stalling in order had to create slang fitting for the time:
to avoid talking about something that is major and impactful #6 – Be consistent with characters’ voices
to the plot. When it’s used as a literary device to set the mood It wouldn’t make sense for your character to flop the way they
or tone of a scene, it’s acceptable. speak unless they’re talking to someone specific (which we
#3 – Keep it brief and impactful cover in the next tip).
Dialogue in books is not meant to read in the way The main idea is that if one character speaks in choppy
we actually speak—not full conversations, at least. If it did, sentences, it should remain that way unless the moment
each book would be exceptionally longer, due in part to the changes to something that would require something more
fact that humans often say a lot of pointless things. elegant.
When it comes to writing dialogue in your book, you have to At the same time, you want to make sure your characters are
keep it briefer and more poignant than in real life. using consistent language.
A great way to get to the meat of the dialogue is to cut out Like in the tips in #4, if they use a specific word more
everything that doesn’t immediately impact the scene. frequently, make sure they use that word whenever they
A quick, “Hey, how’s it going?” isn’t necessary unless the should in order to maintain a consistent voice.
other character’s state is vital to the scene. This, however, #7 – Think about who they’re speaking to
doesn’t include if your character is meeting someone for the You don’t speak in the same way around every single person.
first time, obviously. Again, focus on writing the scene in a Your voice and style change depending on who you’re
way that informs the dialogue. chatting with. For example, you’re going to talk differently to
Essentially, anything that does not further develop your your mom than you would to your best friend.
character, the plot, or any subplots should be cut. While it’s important to be consistent with your character’s
#4 – Give each character a unique way of speaking style and voice, it’s also crucial to think about the who when it
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, but not everyone speaks in comes to their dialogue and adjust accordingly.
the same way. We all have a specific “flow” to our sentences #8 – Keep long speech paragraphs to a minimum
and we all have favorite words we prefer to use. Rarely do people speak for a very long time uninterrupted. It
This is actually a big part of character development in your might be important for your character to say something
novel. lengthy but remember to at least split it up with body language
For example, maybe people will use “perhaps” or “maybe” but and other means of giving your reader a break.
not often both in equal amounts. This is a very small detail, These can feel very long-winded and end up slowing down the
but it does a long way in developing the characters and giving pacing of your book, which can be great if you use
them their own voice. them for this purpose.
One way to break up long paragraphs if one person is speaking
for a while (like when they’re telling a story of sorts) is to add
in the other characters’ body language reactions.
But if you’re trying to move your plot along at a steady rate,
avoid long speech paragraphs.
#9 – Cut the hellos and goodbyes
Greetings are absolutely necessary in real life. In your book?
Not so much.
Your readers know enough to assume there was a greeting of
some sort. In addition, these aren’t usually pivotal parts of
your book and therefore, aren’t necessary to have.
An exchange like this will bore your readers to death:
“Hey, Charlie!”
“What’s up, dude?”
“Not much, how are you doing?”
“I’m fine, you know. Same old, same old.”
“Ah, I feel ya. Anything new in your world?”
“Not really, to tell you the truth.”
Cutting these will help speed up your pacing as well as keep
the dialogue to the must-speak information.
#10 – Show who your character is
One of the best methods of character development is dialogue.
Think about it: how do we learn about new people when we
meet them? Through what they say.
You could meet someone entirely new and based on the
exchange, you actually learn a lot about who they are and how
they operate in life.
You discover if they’re shy, bold, blunt, or kind-hearted and
soft-spoken.
Your dialogue should do the very same for your characters.
Here’s an example of what this would look like:
She let stray strands fall in front of her face as she looked
down and scuffed something sticky on the sidewalk.“Do you
really think so?” Her voice was soft, her eyes still fixed on the
ground instead of the new guy standing in front of her.
This example shows you what the character looks like in a
specific situation and therefore, we gather facts about what
she’s like.
For one, she’s shy—as much is seen by her avoiding eye
contact even as she speaks.