Writing Better Dialogue

That's better. Here's what the author can also improve upon: 

 

• Dialogue Tags- I have heard from teachers that "said" is a "dead word" because it is overused. However, they couldn't be more wrong. "Said" is a powerful dialogue tool because of how common it is. When reading, the audience's eyes often skip over the word "said," allowing the dialogue to be more fluid. Words like asked, demanded, whispered and questioned, are usually superfluous. 

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• No action- One easy way to spice up your dialogue is to use verbs. Adding a movement instead of a dialogue tag makes a conversation more realistic and dynamic. 

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• Location- Dialogue tags aren't just found at the end of sentences. Vary your placement! 

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• Unattributed lines- Not every line of dialogue needs to be claimed. If your characters have different enough voices, you won't need to give them a dialogue tag every time. 

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• Name Dropping- How often do you say someone's name while talking to them? Not often, so don't make your characters do it either.

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• Caps lock- You don't need it, so don't use it.

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“Sponge?”

 

Sponge spun around. His eyes landed on the man he did not want to see. “I didn’t think you would get here so quickly.”

 

“Is that why you thought you could be here without me?”  Radbot said. 

 

“I’m sorry for not inviting you; I just wanted some alone time.” 

 

Radbot raised an eyebrow. “Really. Alone time?”

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Why would you need alone time?” Radbot sat down next to his best friend, “Was asking you to wash the dishes too much for you?”

 

“It’s not about the dishes!”

 

“Then why?”

 

Sponge put his head in his hands, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t avoid the question.” 

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"It doesn't matter."

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"You're the worst."  Radbot stood up and left, leaving Sponge with a mouthful of regret.