What Makes Dialogue Work

This week in my daily social media posts I have been focusing on dialogue. Dialogue is often where a story comes alive, but it’s also where it can lose its power. One of the most common arguments is whether good dialogue should sound like real conversation. It would be nice to think we could be so authentic and get away with it. It can work, up to a point. But, in reality, everyday speech is full of filler, repetition, and drift. On the page, that can quickly become tedious and annoying. Personally speaking, just as I hate to hear those people who say “So I was like, and he was like, and I, like did this…” so I don’t want to read it on a page. Getting the balance right is essential, so authenticity is at the heart of your dialogue without making your readers want to rip their ears out!
 
Effective dialogue is shaped. It gives the illusion of realism while being far more focused and intentional.
 
A useful place to start is by cutting the lead-in. Skip the greetings, the polite exchanges, the small talk. Begin where something is at stake. When characters speak because they need to, the scene immediately gains energy.
 
It’s also worth paying attention to what isn’t said. Subtext - the meaning beneath the words - can transform even a simple exchange. A character might deflect, avoid, or answer a different question altogether. These gaps invite the reader to lean in and interpret.
 
At the same time, dialogue can carry more of the story than we often allow it to. There’s a tendency to over-explain, adding extra description or internal thought to make sure everything is clear. But this can dilute the impact. When dialogue is working well, it can reveal character, build tension, and move the story forward, all on its own.
 
Conflict, even in subtle form, is key. Characters rarely want exactly the same thing, and that slight misalignment creates movement. One pushes, another resists. One speaks plainly, another circles the truth. This friction gives dialogue its life.
 
For fun – write a scene of dialogue where one person is talking about one thing, and another something completely different during a conversation. Let it be a while before they (or even the reader) realise. I would love to read what you come up with, so please feel free to post it in the comments.