Dialogue That Doesn’t Sound Like Robots: A Beginner’s Guide

In real life, conversations are messy. People interrupt each other, trail off mid-sentence, or say things that don’t even make sense. But on paper, messy conversations can look confusing.

Finding the sweet spot — authentic but understandable — is an art. And sometimes, beginners overcompensate by making dialogues too polished or too information heavy.

The result? Characters that sound like actors reading off a teleprompter in a hostage video.

Here’s what makes dialogue crash and burn faster than your last situationship:

1. Over-explaining
   “As you know, I’m your sister and we live together in Boston.” — Please. No one talks like they’re narrating a Wikipedia article.
   
   
2. Perfect Grammar
   Yes, your story should have perfect grammar throughout the book. But that does not necessarily stand true for dialogue. People don’t speak in flawless English. Real conversations are full of “uh,” “like,” “you know,” and incomplete thoughts. Embrace the chaos.
   
   
3. Info dumps disguised as conversation
   Some – nay, most – of the information about the plot should be given outside the dialogue.
   If your character is giving a TED Talk about the backstory, you’re doing it wrong.
   
   
4. Everyone sounding the same
   Your 80-year-old grandma and your 18-year-old college roommate should not have identical voices, right? Every person has a unique way of speaking. Let that show. Tone, pace, slang — all of it.
   
   
5. Dialogue tags overdose
   He exclaimed, she bellowed, he growled, she barked, he shrieked.
   Calm down.
   “Said” is invisible and beautiful. Use it 90% of the time. The drama should come from the dialogue itself, not from the tag screaming it for you.
   
   

So, how do you write dialogues without your story sounding like a low-budget ‘80s sit-com? Here’s a guide:

1. Listen to Real People Talk
   And I mean really listen. Not just to respond, but to observe. Eavesdrop on conversations if you must (Discreetly, please — not advocating for crime). Notice how often people interrupt, go off-topic, or use weird phrases unique to them. Dialogue is music. You’ve got to tune your ears first.
   
   
2. Keep It Snappy
   Shorter sentences that feel more real. Nobody monologues their feelings out loud every time they open their mouth. In fact, most people barely say what they actually mean — and that’s where the magic is.
   
   
3. Cut the Boring Parts
   We don’t need a word-for-word replay of someone ordering coffee – unless they’re plotting a murder over lattes.
   Their personality is shown through their ridiculously complex and large coffee order? Cool. Mention it once. Move on.
   
   
4. Give Your Characters Personal Quirks
   Maybe one character swears a lot. Maybe another can’t finish a sentence without apologizing. Maybe someone ends every sentence with “bro.”
   A small quirk can make them pop off the page.
   
   
5. Trust Your Reader
   You don’t have to spell everything out. A lot of communication happens between the lines. Let your dialogue breathe. Let the tension exist in silence, subtext, or in that one-word reply that says everything.
   
   

Prompt:

Write a short fight between two characters who secretly love each other but are pretending not to care.

Bonus points if you never actually say “I love you” – but the readers know.

If you’re feeling brave (or just chaotic), send your piece to me — email or Instagram DM, whichever vibes with you. I’ll share my favorite three on my story—no pressure, just fun.

Your characters are messy. They’re insecure. They’re impulsive. They make bad jokes and interrupt each other and occasionally say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Let them sound like it.

Perfect dialogue isn’t perfect — it’s believable. It’s emotional. It’s true to the character.
So, the next time you’re stuck, just imagine your characters in a movie scene and ask yourself:
“Would I actually want to watch this?”

In the end, it’s your story, your characters, and your plot.
Go crazy. Write loud. Be bold.