Thread by @MaryRobinette

You just don't get it, do you? A mini-lesson about specificity in dialogue

Ever feel like the words coming out of a character could belong to anyone?

Like this?

When we speak, we have a reason. There's something that we're trying to do. Look clever. Get information. Solve a problem. True love. Hurt

That's your area of intention.

"You just don't get it do you?" is ambiguous.

Pick an area of intention and rewrite it to be unambiguous

Dialogue is also informed by the character's cultural background and personal history.

Within the area of intention, what words and sentence structure would your character use?

Here's an unambiguous, specific take on "You just don't get it do you?"

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." is telling Decker that he doesn't understand anything about this replicant.

It is "You just don't get it do you."

tl;dr - dialogue specific to the character and their area of intention is memorable.

Get it?
Have I clarified this for you, dearie?
See what, I'm talkin' about?
Come on, maggot! This isn't rocket science!
Blink once for yes, twice for no.
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