A Guide to Dialogue: The Essentials and More

image via Unsplash

Unless your work is something out of the Quiet Place, dialogue is important to your story. It helps create dynamics and relationships between your characters, helps inform the readers about the plot or your characters themselves, and breaks up your paragraphs. So it’s important to get it right!

I’ve compiled an encapsulating guide that explains the basics of dialogue, punctuating dialogue, how to show your character through it, and several tips for making your dialogue sound...well, not forced. Keep reading for more info!

Punctuation Rules for Dialogue

I know when I first began writing, I’d mess up on these all the time and always spend time after I finished a work going through and fixing it. Not fun. So if we’re going to talk about dialogue, let’s get the punctuation rules down for it. 

Rule 1: Commas go after the dialogue (but within the quotation marks) if there is a dialogue tag.

• A dialogue tag are the words you see after dialogue that describe what’s being said — like “she said, he yelled, they quipped.”
• For example: “I don’t know if I can make it to the party,” I said.

Rule 2: If nothing follows the dialogue, you can end it with a period (or an exclamation point/question mark if applicable)

• For example: “What do you mean you can’t make it?”
• Or for example: “What are you talking about!”

Rule 3: If the dialogue continues after the dialogue tag, you apply the above two rules.

• This one’s a bit tricky. Remember that we saw a dialogue tag describes the dialogue: as such, there are two ways to follow this rule:
• If the dialogue tag describes both the dialogue in front and in back of it, you need to put a comma at the end of the dialogue tag and at the end of the first dialogue phrase. This also applies if the sentence is interrupted/continued after the dialogue tag.
• For example: “I have an event to go to…” she hesitated, before continuing, “so I won’t be able to make it to your party!”
• Or:  “I have an event to go to, so I won’t be able to make it to your party,” she paused, “I’m...sorry about that.”

Rule 4: If the dialogue doesn’t describe the dialogue at the end, you end the beginning dialogue with a comma and start the other one with a period.

• For example: “I have an event to go to, so I won’t be able to make it,” she said. “I’m sorry!”

Rule 5: If there are complete sentences between the quotation marks, treat them as you would regularly (with correct punctuation) and with previous rules applying.

• This is best seen in an example: “No worries! I hope you’ll be able to make it next time,” she said.
• Notice how we still included the exclamation point in the first sentence, even though it occurred before the dialogue tag.
  
  

Rule 6: If there is no dialogue tag, but an action/sentence occurs between the dialogue, you end it with a comma (or any exclamation/question mark if applicable)

• For example: “I’ll look for any intruders.” She scanned the room. “I see no one.”
• Because this didn’t include a dialogue tag (remember: a dialogue tag is something that describes the dialogue) we treat this as a completely separate sentence from the dialogue. 

Rule 7: If starting with a dialogue tag, you need to put a comma before the dialogue.

• For example: Mary wondered, “Does my roommate know I’m not coming home tonight?”

Rule 8: In a paragraph, each speaker should get an indented dialogue and be on the next line. 

• If the dialogue continues onto the next line, there is no need to indent it again.
• For example:

“Well, in my free time, I do a lot of things,” she thought aloud. “Really, I’m always so busy in my free time.” 

“I’ve seen you do one thing in your free time. Maybe two,” her brother quipped.

Rule 8: If beginning a new paragraph (not dialogue) you still need to make a new line and indent. 

• For example:

“I’ve always liked the sunset,” Mary breathed.

    Bright hues of orange and red blurred across the sky like melted icecream. It drenched the city in a beautiful, sticky glow. 

Rule 9: If a speaker continues on for two paragraphs, you simply start a new paragraph and end with the usual quotation marks.

• For example: 

    He explained, “There are many things to consider when buying a new pet. If a person has no preferences for species, they should consider how much of a role they can play in their pet’s life — does the person have the free time and or ability to walk the pet every day? Does the person want something more laid back, but still personable? Or perhaps they have very little time.

    If it’s the latter, I’d recommend getting a house plant. You can name them just as much as a pet!”

Rule 10: Capitalization

• Just like regular sentences, you capitalize words if they began a sentence (even if they’re in the dialogue!)

For Example: “Pumpkins are my favorite squash,” Jon muttered.

Rule 11: Quotes within Quotes

• If you wish to put a quotation mark within a quote, don’t leave them as double quotation marks (or “!”).
• Instead, replace them with single quotation marks, or ‘’.

For Example: “Gosh, can you believe her? She said that ‘she didn’t want to do the project with us.’”

Showing your Characters through Dialogue

Alright, so now we know some basic rules. Now, one of my favorite ways to use dialogue is to help flesh out and develop the character. But what does that mean?

 Give them distinct speaking styles, if applicable:

    I don’t mean writing out a Scottish or British accent on the page. Instead, ask yourself this: if you were to listen to your character speak to you in real life, how would they sound?

    Would they speak in clipped tones or go off on long tangents? Do they interject their sentences with phrases or speak in a very understandable manner?

    The answers to these questions can depend on a character’s personality and background and can also extend beyond these questions, so make sure to incorporate these two aspects in your dialogue development! 

    Asking yourself these questions can not only help you add another layer of realism to your characters but can also be rewarding when your readers can just tell which character is speaking by only their voices (a tool you can use to drop those plot twists in!)

    If you’re having trouble with this or are thinking that your dialogue sounds like a boxed in personality trait, spend some time listening to others. I mean it. Pay attention to the way that your family, friends, or even strangers speak around you! Do they have any habits that might inspire your character’s dialogue personality?

Dialogue, Pacing, and your Story

    Now, let me start by saying the rule that everyone probably knows by now: don’t info dump in your dialogue! I know its tempting, it’s easy, and surely it’s not too noticeable — no, sometimes your reader won’t notice it. But oftentimes, they will.

Instead, place bits of your worldbuilding/information you wish to include in the reactions of your dialogue. In other words, let your reader know about your world in how your readers talk about it through your dialogue. 

An Example of What Not to Do:

    “Did you hear about the new train line they’re installing in our city? It is crazy to think about how we’re finally getting technology. It’s only been fifty years since the start of the Technological Revolution, and I’ve been hoping every day for some of that new tech to happen to our little city!” Mary exclaimed. 

“Yeah, but did you hear about how they’re installing the train?” Jon frowned. “It’s very upsetting to me. They’re probably going to tear right through buildings and my mom’s home. And the government is not going to do anything about it — and I heard about the terrible labor practices they’re using to install it. The government here is terrible, and I’m one of many that think that way.”

A Revised Version:

“So! You heard about that new train line, right!” Mary exclaimed.

“Yeah — and it’s absolutely awful as usual.”

Mary jumped up, nearly knocking over the coffee she’d been drinking in the process.  “What are you talking about, ‘absolutely awful?’ Jon, we’re finally getting new technology! Imagine that — us, our town — getting an entire train for us! Can you imagine how great that’ll be!”

Jon held his hands up in a diplomatic manner. “Alright, I mean yeah. It’ll be great. But, Mary, you did hear about how they’re going to install it, right?”

She cocked her head.

“They’re practically using slave labor to install it — and all the people that live in its path, they’ll lose their homes. But as usual, the government won’t care. They’re not going to do anything, anything at all, to stop them or help the people affected,” Jon paused, growing quieter, “My mom might lose her home, Mary.”

    Now, along with witnessing the grammar rules describes above, we can also see the reflection of personality in dialogue. Notice how Mary, in all her excitement and perhaps her personality, speaks in short sentences? Contrast that with Jon, who’s far less excited about the train, and we see him doing that exact opposite. He also has a habit of continuing on his sentences (like where I used that “and” to start a sentence” onto the next) in a very fluid manner.

    And sure, while we lost some information about the fifty years, we created a more fluid dialogue; we learned about Mary’s excitement (rather than her telling us) through her dialogue, and learned about the corruptness of the government without Jon telling us.

So, that has been an overview of how to incorporate, improve, and perfect your dialogue in your work! Have any other tips/suggestions? Leave a comment below!