Thread by @AlyssaMatesic

Almost every novel includes dialogue, but it’s tough to nail. Bad dialogue can undermine your story & make your writing look amateurish.

Here are 5 tips based on the dialogue mistakes I often see as a developmental editor (an #amwriting 🧵):

1. Fix mismatched attributions. If the tag that comes after a line of dialogue follows any character other than the character who just spoke, the reader will get confused. Generally, make sure the speaker is the 1st person you mention after the line of dialogue.

2. Show reactions. Line after line of dialogue w/ no break becomes tiring to read. Show us what they’re doing during the scene, their emotional reactions, tone of voice, etc. These details make the dialogue more realistic, esp. if there’s a dramatic moment in the conversation.

3. Check paragraph breaks. Incorrect formatting or misplaced ¶ breaks can cause confusion. When you can, keep all the text from the same speaker in the same ¶. When you have to break text up, leave the closing “ mark off of the previous ¶ to signal that it’s all the same speaker.

4. Don’t name drop. Dialogue should sound authentic/true to how we speak. In most cases, it’s not natural to call the person you’re speaking to by name or to use the name of another person when it’s clear who you’re talking about from the context of the convo.

Some of these tips are hard to visualize without examples. You can check out my YouTube channel (link in bio) for more details & examples of each of these common dialogue mistakes!

5 dialogue writing tips to instantly improve your novel:
1. Fix mismatched attributions
2. Show reactions
3. Check ¶ breaks
4. Don’t name drop

Revise your dialogue w/ these tips in mind to enhance your characters’ voices! #writingcommunity