- Three checks per exchange: voice, purpose, and read-aloud rhythm.
- Dialogue typically gets revised twice as often as narration.
- "On the nose" dialogue (characters saying exactly what they mean) is the most common weakness.
- Distinctive voice per character is the test of well-crafted dialogue.
- A read-aloud pass catches dialogue problems no silent read catches.
You fix weak dialogue by running three checks per exchange: does it sound like the character (voice), does it advance the scene (purpose), and does it sound real when read aloud (rhythm). Dialogue that fails one of the three is the most common revision target. Most working novelists revise dialogue twice as often as narration.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Dialogue is where character is revealed and where most amateur novels fail. Readers forgive plot holes and forgive purple prose; they do not forgive dialogue that does not sound like a person. Strong dialogue can carry a thin plot; weak dialogue sinks a strong one.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A voice check: does each character speak with distinct vocabulary and rhythm?
- A purpose check: what does this exchange accomplish (subtext, conflict, information)?
- A read-aloud pass: every dialogue scene, out loud, alone.
- A subtext layer: what is the character NOT saying?
- A "no on-the-nose" rule: characters should not state their feelings directly.
- A dialogue-tag cleanup: "said" beats most alternatives.
Chapter iii·Example
A literary novelist’s beta readers say her dialogue is "stiff." She reads every dialogue scene aloud over two days and finds three patterns: every character speaks the same way, two characters explain their feelings directly instead of acting them, and she uses dialogue tags like "shouted" or "whispered" instead of "said." She revises with these in mind. Two beta readers say the dialogue is "the best part of the book" in the next round.
WriteLoom’s Edit studio runs a dialogue-specific critique that flags on-the-nose lines and uniform voice without rewriting your characters.
See the Edit studio