dialogue for narrative essay

Writing A Narrative Essay

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• What is an Narrative Essay?
• Choosing a Topic
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Using Dialogue

• Using Descriptive Writing
• OER Resources
• Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use

Examples of Dialogue Tags

Examples of Dialogue Tags:

interrupted

Ebooks in Galileo

Additional Links & Resources

• Dialogue Cheat Sheet

Dialogue is an exchange of conversation between two or more people or characters in a story. As a literary style, dialogue helps to advance the plot, reveal a character's thoughts or emotions, or shows the character's reaction within the story. Dialogue gives life to the story and supports the story's atmosphere.

There are two types of dialogue that can be used in an narrative essay.

Direct dialogue  is written between inverted commas or quotes. These are the actual spoken words of a character 

Indirect dialogue  is basically telling someone about what another person said

Formatting Dialogue

Dialogue is an important part of a narrative essay, However formatting dialogue can be troublesome at times.

When formatting dialogue use these rules and examples to help with your formatting:

Place double quotation marks at the beginning an end of spoken words.  The quotations go on the  outside  of both the words and end-of-dialogue punctuation.

• Example:  "What is going on here?" John asked.

Each speaker gets a new paragraph that is indented.

      “hi,” said John as he stretched out his hand.

           "Good Morning, how are you?" said Brad shaking John’s hand.

                      "Good. Thanks for asking," John said.

Each speaker’s actions are in the same paragraph as their dialogue.

 A  dialogue tag  is anything that indicates which character spoke and describes how they spoke.

If the tag comes before the dialogue,  use a comma straight after the tag. If the dialogue is the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first letter. End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation (period, exclamation point, or question mark), but keep it INSIDE the quotation marks.

• Examples Before: 

James said, “I’ll never go shopping with you again!”

John said, “It's a great day to be at the beach.”

She opened the door and yelled, “Go away! Leave me alone!”

If the dialogue tag comes after the dialogue , Punctuation still goes INSIDE quotation marks. Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper noun, it is  not  capitalized. End the dialogue tag with appropriate punctuation. Use comma after the quote unless it ends with a question mark or exclamation mark.

• Examples After: 

“Are you sure this is real life?” Lindsay asked.

“It’s so gloomy out,” he said.

“Are we done?” asked Brad . 

“This is not your concern!” Emma said.

If dialogue tag is in the middle of dialogue.  A comma should be used before the dialogue tag inside the closing quotation mark; Unless the dialogue tag begins with a proper noun, it is  not  capitalized. A comma is used after the dialogue tag, outside of quotation marks, to reintroduce the dialogue. End the dialogue with the appropriate punctuation followed by the closing quotation marks. 

When it is two sentences, the first sentence will end with a punctuation mark and the second begins with a capital letter.

• Examples middle: 

“Let’s run away,” she whispered, “we wont get another chance.”

“I thought you cared.” Sandy said, hoping for an explanation. “How could you walk away?”

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Jerry whispered. “I’ll miss him.”

Questions in dialogue.  

if there is a dialogue tag, the question mark will act as a comma and you will then lowercase the first word in the dialogue tag 

• Example: What are you doing?" he asked.

if there is simply an action after the question, the question mark acts as a period and you will then capitalize the first word in the next sentence.

“Sarah, why didn't you text me back?” Jane asked.

“James, why didn’t you show up?” Carol stomped her feet in anger before slamming the door behind her.

If the question or exclamation ends the dialogue, do not use commas to separate the dialogue from dialogue tags.

• Example:  “Sarah, why didn't you text me back?” Jane asked.

If the sentence containing the dialogue is a question, then the        question mark goes outside of the quotation marks.

Did the teacher say, “The Homework is due Tomorrow”?

If you have to quote something within the dialogue.  When a character quotes someone else, use double-quotes around what your character says, then single-quotes around the speech they’re quoting.

• Example: 

"When doling out dessert, my grandmother always said, 'You may have a cookie for each hand.'"

Dashes & Ellipses:

Dashes ( — ) are used to indicate abruptly interrupted dialogue or when one character's dialogue is interrupted by another character.

Use an em dash  inside  the quotation marks to cut off the character mid-dialogue, usually with either (A) another character speaking or (B) an external action.

• Including the em dash at the end of the line of dialogue signifies that your character wasn't finished speaking.
• If the speaking character's action interrupts their own dialogue . 
• Use em dashes  outside  the quotation marks to set off a bit of action without a speech verb. 

Examples: 

• Heather ran towards Sarah with excitement. “You won’t believe what I found out—”
• "Is everything—" she started to ask, but a sharp look cut her off.
• "Look over there—" She snapped her mouth shut so she didn't give the secret away.
• "Look over there"—she pointed towards the shadow—"by the stairway."

Use ellipses (...) when a character has lost their train of thought or can't figure out what to say

• Example:  “You haven’t…” he trailed off in disbelief.

Action Beats

Action beats show what a character is doing before, during, or after their dialogue.

“This isn't right.” She squinted down at her burger. “Does this look like it is well done to you?”

She smiled. “I loved the center piece you chose.”

If you separate two complete sentences, you will simply place the action beat as its own sentence between two sets of quotes.

“I never said he could go to the concert.” Linda sighed and sat in her chair. “He lied to you again.”

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How to Write Dialogue in a Narrative Paragraph

Hayley Milliman

What is Dialogue?

How to write dialogue, how to punctuate your dialogue, periods and commas, question marks and exclamation points, final thoughts.

Dialogue is the written conversational exchange between two or more characters.

Conventional English grammar rules tell us that you should always start a new paragraph when someone speaks in your writing.

“Let’s get the heck out of here right now,” Mary said, turning away from the mayhem.

John looked around the pub. “Maybe you’re right,” he said and followed her towards the door.

Sometimes, though, in the middle of a narrative paragraph, your main character needs to speak.

Mary ducked away from flying fists. The fight at the pub was getting out of control. One man was grabbing bar stools and throwing them at others, and while she watched, another one who you could tell worked out regularly grabbed men by their shirt collars and tossed them out of the way. Almost hit by one flying person, she turned to John and said, “Let’s get the heck out of here right now.”

In my research, I couldn’t find any hard and fast rules that govern how to use dialogue in the middle of a narrative paragraph. It all depends on what style manual your publisher or editorial staff follow.

For example, in the Chicago Manual of Style , putting dialogue in the middle of paragraphs depends on the context. As in the above example, if the dialogue is a natural continuation of the sentences that come before, it can be included in your paragraph. The major caveat is if someone new speaks after that, you start a new paragraph and indent it.

On the other hand, if the dialogue you’re writing departs from the sentences that come before it, you should start a new paragraph and indent the dialogue.

The fight at the pub was getting out of control. One man was grabbing bar stools and throwing them at others, and another one who you could tell worked out regularly grabbed men by their shirt collars and tossed them out of the way.

Punctuation for dialogue stays consistent whether it’s included in your paragraph or set apart as a separate paragraph. We have a great article on how to punctuate your dialogue here: Where Does Punctuation Go in Dialogue?

It’s often a stylistic choice whether to include your dialogue as part of the paragraph. If you want your dialogue to be part of the scene described in preceding sentences, you can include it.

But if you want your dialogue to stand out from the action, start it in the next paragraph.

Dialogue is a fantastic way to bring your readers into the midst of the action. They can picture the main character talking to someone in their mind’s eye, and it gives them a glimpse into how your character interacts with others.

That said, dialogue is hard to punctuate, especially since there are different rules for different punctuation marks—because nothing in English grammar is ever easy, right?

We’re going to try to make this as easy as possible. So we’ll start with the hardest punctuation marks to understand.

For American English, periods and commas always go inside your quotation marks, and commas are used to separate your dialogue tag from the actual dialogue when it comes at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle. Here are a few examples:

Nancy said, “Let’s go to the park today since the weather is so beautiful.”

“Let’s go to the park today since the weather is so beautiful,” she said.

“Let’s go to the park today,” she said, “since the weather is so beautiful.”

British English puts the periods and commas inside the quotation marks if they’re actually part of the quoted words or sentence. Consider the following example:

• She sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, the theme song from The Wizard of Oz.

In the above example, the comma after “Rainbow” is not part of the quoted material and thus belongs outside the quotation marks.

But for most cases when you’re punctuating dialogue, the commas and periods belong inside the quotation marks.

Where these punctuation marks go depends on the meaning of your sentence. If your main character is asking someone a question or exclaiming about something, the punctuation marks belongs inside the quotation marks.

Nancy asked, “Does anyone want to go to the park today?”

Marija said, “That’s fantastic news!”

“Please say you’re still my friend!” Anna said.

“Can we just leave now?” asked Henry.

But if the question mark or exclamation point is for the sentence as a whole instead of just the words inside the quotation marks, they belong outside of the quotes.

Does your physical therapist always say to his patients, “You just need to try harder”?

Do you agree with the saying, “All’s fair in love and war”?

Single Quotation Marks

Only use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes, such as when a character is repeating something someone else has said. Single quotes are never used for any other purpose.

Avery said, “I saw a sign that read ‘Welcome to America’s Greatest City in the Midwest’ when I entered town this morning.”

“I heard Mona say to her mom, ‘You know nothing whatsoever about me,’ ” said Jennifer.

Some experts put a space after the single quote and before the main quotation mark like in the above example to make it easier for the reader to understand.

Here’s a trickier example of single quotation marks, question marks, and ending punctuation, just to mix things up a little.

• Mark said, “I heard her ask her lawyer, ‘Am I free to go?’ after the verdict was read this morning.”

Perfectly clear, right? Let us know some of your trickiest dialogue punctuation situations in the comments below.

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Hayley is the Head of Education and Community at ProWritingAid. Prior to joining this team, Hayley spent several years as an elementary school teacher and curriculum developer in Memphis, TN. When Hayley isn't hunched over her keyboard, you can find her figure skating at the ice rink or hiking with her dog.

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How to Write Interesting and Effective Dialogue

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Writing verbal conversations or dialogue is often one of the trickiest parts of creative writing. Crafting effective dialogue within the context of a narrative requires much more than following one quote with another. With practice, though, you can learn how to write natural-sounding dialogue that is creative and compelling.

The Purpose of Dialogue

Put simply, dialogue is narrative conveyed through speech by two or more characters. Effective dialogue should do many things at once, not just convey information. It should set the scene, advance action, give insight into each character, and foreshadow future dramatic action.

Dialogue doesn't have to be grammatically correct; it should read like actual speech. However, there must be a balance between realistic speech and readability. Dialogue is also a tool for character development. Word choice tells a reader a lot about a person: their appearance, ethnicity, sexuality, background, even morality. It can also tell the reader how the writer feels about a certain character.

How to Write Direct Dialogue

Speech, also known as direct dialogue, can be an effective means of conveying information quickly. But most real-life conversations are not that interesting to read. An exchange between two friends may go something like this:

"Hi, Tony," said Katy.

"Hey," Tony answered.

"What's wrong?" Katy asked.

"Nothing," Tony said.

"Really? You're not acting like nothing's wrong."

Pretty tiresome dialogue, right? By including nonverbal details in your dialogue, you can articulate emotion through action. This adds dramatic tension and is more engaging to read. Consider this revision:

"Hi, Tony."

Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe and pushed around a pile of dust.

"Hey," he replied.

Katy could tell something was wrong.

Sometimes saying nothing or saying the opposite of what we know a character feels is the best way to create dramatic tension. If a character wants to say "I love you," but his actions or words say "I don't care," the reader will cringe at the missed opportunity.

How to Write Indirect Dialogue

Indirect dialogue doesn't rely on speech. Instead, it uses thoughts, memories, or recollections of past conversations to reveal important narrative details. Often, a writer will combine direct and indirect dialogue to increase dramatic tension, as in this example:

Katy braced herself. Something was wrong.

Formatting and Style

To write dialogue that is effective, you must also pay attention to formatting and style. Correct use of tags, punctuation , and paragraphs can be as important as the words themselves.

Remember that punctuation goes inside quotations. This keeps the dialogue clear and separate from the rest of the narrative. For example: "I can't believe you just did that!"

Start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes. If there is action involved with a speaking character, keep the description of the action within the same paragraph as the character's dialogue.

Dialogue tags other than "said" are best used sparingly, if at all. Often a writer uses them to try to convey a certain emotion. For example:

"But I don't want to go to sleep yet," he whined.

Instead of telling the reader that the boy whined, a good writer will describe the scene in a way that conjures the image of a whining little boy:

He stood in the doorway with his hands balled into little fists at his sides. His red, tear-rimmed eyes glared up at his mother. "But I don't want to go to sleep yet."

Practice Makes Perfect

Writing dialogue is like any other skill. It requires constant practice if you want to improve as a writer. Here are a few tips to help you prepare to write effective dialogue.

• Start a dialogue diary. Practice speech patterns and vocabulary that may be foreign to you. This will give you the opportunity to really get to know your characters.
• Listen and take notes. Carry a small notebook with you and write down phrases, words, or whole conversations verbatim to help develop your ear.
• Read. Reading will hone your creative abilities. It will help familiarize you with the form and flow of narration and dialogue until it becomes more natural in your own writing.
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How to Write Dialogue: Rules, Examples, and 8 Tips for Engaging Dialogue

by Fija Callaghan

You’ll often hear fiction writers talking about “character-driven stories”—stories where the strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations of the central cast of characters stay with us long after the book is closed. But what drives character, and how do we create characters that leave long-lasting impressions?

The answer lies in dialogue : the device used by our characters to communicate with each other. Powerful dialogue can elevate a story and subtly reveal important information, but poorly written dialogue can send your work straight to the slush bin. Let’s look at what dialogue is in writing, how to properly format dialogue, and how to make your characters’ dialogue the best it can be.

What is dialogue in a story?

Dialogue is the verbal exchange between two or more characters. In most fiction, the exchange is in the form of a spoken conversation. However, conversations in a story can also be things like letters, text messages, telepathy, or even sign language. Any moment where two characters speak or connect with each other through their choice of words, they’re engaging in dialogue.

Why does dialogue matter in a story?

We use dialogue in a story to reveal new information about the plot, characters, and story world. Great dialogue is essential to character development and helps move the plot forward in a story.

Writing good dialogue is a great way to sneak exposition into your story without stating it overtly to the reader; you can also use tools like dialect and diction in your dialogue to communicate more detail about your characters.

Through a character’s dialogue, we can learn about their motivations, relationships, and understanding of the world around them.

A character won’t always say what they mean (more on dialogue subtext below), but everything they say will serve some larger purpose in the story. If your dialogue is well-written, the reader will absorb this information without even realizing it. If your dialogue is clunky, however, it will stand out and pull your reader away from your story.

Rules for writing dialogue

Before we get into how to make your dialogue realistic and engaging, let’s make sure you’ve got the basics down: how to properly format dialogue in a story. We’ll look at how to punctuate dialogue, how to write dialogue correctly when using a question mark or exclamation point, and some helpful dialogue writing examples.

Here are the need-to-know rules for formatting dialogue in writing.

Enclose lines of dialogue in double quotation marks

This is the most essential rule in basic dialogue punctuation. When you write dialogue in North American English, a spoken line will have a set of double quotation marks around it. Here’s a simple dialogue example:

“Were you at the party last night?”

Any punctuation such as periods, question marks, and exclamation marks will also go inside the quotation marks. The quotation marks give a visual clue to the reader that this line is spoken out loud.

In European or British English, however, you’ll often see single quotation marks being used instead of double quotation marks. All the other rules stay the same.

Enclose nested dialogue in single quotation marks

Nested dialogue is when one line of dialogue happens inside another line of dialogue—when someone is verbally quoting someone else. In North American English, you’d use single quotation marks to identify where the new dialogue line starts and stops, like this:

“And then, do you know what he said to me? Right to my face, he said, ‘I stayed home all night.’ As if I didn’t even see him.”

The double and single quotation marks give the reader clues as to who’s speaking. In European or British English, the quotation marks would be reversed; you’d use single quotation marks on the outside, and double quotation marks on the inside.

Every speaker gets a new paragraph

Every time you switch to a new speaker, you end the line where it is and start a new line. Here are some dialogue examples to show you how it looks:

“Were you at the party last night?” “No, I stayed home all night.”

The same is true if the new “speaker” is only in focus because of their action. You can think of the paragraphs like camera angles, each one focusing on a different person:

“Were you at the party last night?” “No, I stayed home all night.” She raised a single, threatening eyebrow. “Yeah, I wasn’t feeling that well, so I just stayed in and watched Netflix instead.”

If you kept the action on the same line as the dialogue, it would get confusing and make it look like she was the one saying it. Giving each character a new paragraph keeps the speakers clear and distinct.

Use em-dashes when dialogue gets cut short

If your character begins to speak but is interrupted, you’ll break off their line of dialogue with an em-dash, like this:

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling that well, so I just stayed in and—” “Is that really what happened?”

Be careful with this one, because many word processors will treat your em-dash like the beginning of a new sentence and attach your closing quotation marks backwards:

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling that well, so I just stayed in and—“

You may need to keep an eye out and adjust as you go along.

In this dialogue example, the new speaker doesn’t lead with an em-dash; they just start speaking like normal. The only time you’ll ever open a line of dialogue with an em-dash is if the speaker who’s been cut off continues with what they were saying:

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling that well, so I just stayed in and—” “Is that really what happened?” “—watched Netflix instead. Yes, that’s what happened.”

This shows the reader that there’s actually only one line of dialogue, but it’s been cut in the middle by another speaker.

Each line of dialogue is indented

Every time you give your speaker a new paragraph, it’s indented from the left-hand side. Many word processors will do this automatically. The only exception is if your dialogue is opening your story or a new section of your story, such as a chapter; these will always start at the far left margin of the page, whether they’re dialogue or narration.

Long speeches don’t use use closing quotation marks until the end

Most writers favor shorter lines of dialogue in their writing, but sometimes you might need to give your character a longer one—for instance, if the character speaking is giving a speech or telling a story. In these cases, you might choose to break up their speech into shorter paragraphs the way you would if you were writing regular narrative.

However, here the punctuation gets a bit weird. You’ll begin the character’s dialogue with a double quotation mark, like normal. But you won’t use a double quotation mark at the end of the paragraph, because they haven’t finished speaking yet. But! You’ll use another opening quotation mark at the beginning of the subsequent paragraph. This means that you may use several opening double quotation marks for your character’s speech, but only ever one closing quotation mark.

If your character is telling a story that involves people talking, remember to use single quotation marks for your dialogue-within-dialogue as we looked at above.

Sometimes these dialogue formatting rules are easier to catch later on, during the editing process. When you’re writing, worry less about using the exact dialogue punctuation and more about writing great dialogue that supports your character development and moves the story forward.

How to use dialogue tags

Dialogue tags help identify the speaker. They’re especially important if you have a group of people all talking together, and it can get pretty confusing for the reader trying to keep everybody straight. If you’re using a speech tag after your line of dialogue—he said, she said, and so forth—you’ll end your sentence with a comma, like this:

“No, I stayed home all night,” he said.

But if you’re using an action to identify the person speaking instead, you’ll punctuate the sentence like normal and start a new sentence to describe the action taking place:

“No, I stayed home all night.” He looked down at his feet.

The dialogue tags and action tags always follow in the same paragraph. When you move your story lens to a new person, you’ll switch to a new paragraph. Each line where a new person speaks propels the story forward.

When to use capitals in dialogue tags

You may have noticed in the two examples above that one dialogue tag begins with a lowercase letter, and one—which is technically called an action tag—begins with a capital letter. Confusing? The rules are simple once you get a little practice.

When you use a dialogue tag like “he said,” “she said,” “he whispered,” or “she shouted,” you’re using these as modifiers to your sentence—dressing it up with a little clarity. They’re an extension of the sentence the person was speaking. That’s why you separate them with a comma and keep going.

With an action tag , you’re ending one sentence and beginning a whole new one. Each sentence represents two distinct moments in the story. That’s why you end the first sentence with a period, and then open the next one with a capital letter.

If you’re not sure, try reading them out loud:

“No, I stayed home all night,” he said. “No, I stayed home all night.” He looked down at his feet.

Since you can’t hear quotation marks out loud, the way you say them will show you if they’re one sentence or two. In the first example, you can hear how the sentence keeps going after the dialogue ends. In the second example, you can hear how one sentence comes to a full stop and another one begins.

But what if your dialogue tag comes before the dialogue, instead of after? In this case, the dialogue is always capitalized because the speaker is beginning a new sentence:

He said, “No, I stayed home all night.” He looked down at his feet. “No, I stayed home all night.”

You’ll still use a comma after the dialogue tag and a period after the action tag, just like if you’d separate them if you were putting your tag at the end.

If you’re not sure, ask yourself if your leading tag sounds like a full sentence or a partial sentence. If it sounds like a partial sentence, it gets a comma. If it reads like a full sentence that stands on its own, it gets a period.

External vs. internal dialogue

All of the dialogue we’ve looked at so far is external dialogue, which is directed from one character to another. The other type of dialogue is internal dialogue, or inner dialogue, where a character is talking to themselves. You’ll use this when you want to show what a character is thinking, but other characters can’t hear.

Usually, internal dialogue will be written in italics to distinguish it from the rest of the text. That shows the reader that the line is happening inside the character’s head. For example:

It’s not a big deal, she thought. It’s just a new school. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.

Here you can see that the dialogue tag is used in the same way, just as if it was a line of external dialogue. However, “she thought” is written in regular text because it’s not a part of what the character is thinking. This helps keep everything clear for the reader.

In your story, you can play with using contrasting internal and external dialogue to show that what your characters say isn’t always what they mean. You may also choose to use this internal dialogue formatting if you’re writing dialogue between two or more characters that isn’t spoken out loud—for instance, telepathically or by sign language.

8 tips for creating engaging dialogue in a story

Now that you’ve mastered the mechanics of how to write dialogue, let’s look at how to create convincing, compelling dialogue that will elevate your story.

1. Listen to people talk

To write convincingly about people, you’ll first need to know something about them. The work of great writers is often characterized by their insight into humanity; you read them and think, “Yes, this is exactly what people are like.” You can begin accumulating your own insight by listening to what real people say to each other.

You can go to any public place where people are likely to gather and converse: cafés, art galleries, political events, dimly lit pubs, bookshops. Record snippets of conversation, pay attention to how people’s voices change as they move from speaking to one person to another, try to imagine what it is they’re not saying, the words simmering just under the surface.

By listening to stories unfold in real time, you’ll have a better idea of how to recreate them in your writing—and inspiration for some new stories, too.

2. Give each spoken line a purpose

Here is something that actors have drilled into their heads from their first day at drama school, and writers would do well to remember it too: every single line of dialogue has a hidden motivation. Every time your character speaks, they’re trying to achieve something, either overtly or covertly.

Small talk is rare in fiction, because it doesn’t advance the plot or reveal something about your characters. The exception is when your characters are using their small talk for a specific purpose, such as to put off talking about the real issue, to disarm someone, or to pretend they belong somewhere they don’t.

When writing your own dialogue, ask yourself what the line accomplishes in the story. If you come up blank, it probably doesn’t need to be there. Words need to earn their place on the page.

3. Embrace subtext

In real life, we rarely say exactly what we really mean. The reality of polite society is that we’ve evolved to speak in circles around our true intentions, afraid of the consequences of speaking our mind. Your characters will be no different. If your protagonist is trying to tell their best friend they’re in love with them, for instance, they’ll come up with about fifty different ways to say it before speaking the deceptively simple words themselves.

To write better dialogue, try exploring different ways of moving your characters around what’s really being said, layering text and subtext side by side. The reader will love picking apart the conversation between your characters and deducing what’s really happening underneath (incidentally, this is also the place where fan fiction is born).

4. Keep names to a minimum

You may notice that on television, in moments of great upheaval, the characters will communicate exactly how important the moment is by saying each other’s names in dramatic bursts of anger/passion/fear/heartbreak/shock. In real life, we say each other’s names very rarely; saying someone’s name out loud can actually be a surprisingly intimate experience.

Names may be a necessary evil right at the beginning of your story so your reader knows who’s who, but after you’ve established your cast, try to include names in dialogue only when it makes sense to do so. If you’re not sure, try reading the dialogue out loud to see if it sounds like something someone would actually say (we’ll talk more about reading out loud below).

5. Prune unnecessary words

This is one area where reality and story differ. In life, dialogue is full of filler words: “Um, uh, well, so yeah, then I was like, erm, huh?” You may have noticed this when you practiced listening to dialogue, above. We won’t say there’s never a place for these words in fiction, but like all words in storytelling, they need to earn their place. You might find filler words an effective tool for showing something about one particular character, or about one particular moment, but you’ll generally find that you use them a lot less than people really do in everyday speech.

When you’re reviewing your characters’ dialogue, remember the hint above: each line needs a purpose. It’s the same for each word. Keep only the ones that contribute something to the story.

6. Vary word choices and rhythms

The greatest dialogue examples in writing use distinctive character voices; each character sounds a little bit different, because they have their own personality.

This can be tricky to master, but an easy way to get started is to look at the word choice and rhythm for each character. You might have one character use longer words and run-on sentences, while another uses smaller words and simple, single-clause sentences. You might have one lean on colloquial regional dialect, where another sounds more cosmopolitan. Play around with different ways to develop characters and give each one their own voice.

7. Be consistent for each character

When you do find a solid, believable voice for your character, make sure that it stays consistent throughout your entire story. It’s easy to set a story aside for a while, then return to it and forget some of the work you did in distinguishing your characters’ dialogue. You might find it helpful to write down some notes about the way each character speaks so you can refer back to it later.

The exception, of course, is if your character’s speech pattern goes through a transformation over the course of the story, like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady . In this case, you can use your character’s distinctive voice to communicate a major change. But as with all things in writing, make sure that it comes from intention and not from forgetfulness.

8. Read your dialogue out loud

After you’ve written a scene between two or more characters, you can take the dialogue for a trial run by speaking it out loud. Ask yourself, does the dialogue sound realistic? Are there any moments where it drags or feels forced? Does the voice feel natural for each character? You’ll often find there are snags you miss in your writing that only become apparent when read out loud. Bonus: this is great practice for when you become rich and famous and do live readings at bookshops.

3 mistakes to avoid when writing dialogue

Easy, right? But there are also a few pitfalls that new writers often encounter when writing dialogue that can drag down an otherwise compelling story. Here are the things to watch out for when crafting your story dialogue.

1. Too much exposition

Exposition is one of the more demanding literary devices , and one of the ones most likely to trip up new writers. Dialogue is a good place to sneak in some information about your story—but subtlety is essential. This is one place where the adage “show, don’t tell” really shines.

Consider these dialogue examples:

“How is she, Doctor?” “Well Mr. Stuffington, I don’t have to remind you that your daughter, the sole heiress to your estate and currently engaged to the Baron of Flippingshire, has suffered a grievous injury when she fell from her horse last Sunday. We don’t need to discuss right now whether or not you think her jealous maid was responsible; what matters is your daughter’s well being. As to your question, I’m afraid it’s very unlikely that she’ll ever walk again.” Can’t you just feel your arm aching to throw the poor book across the room? There’s a lot of important information here, but you can find subtler ways to work it into your story. Let’s try again: “How is she, Doctor?” “Well Mr. Stuffington, your daughter took quite a blow from that horse—worse than we initially thought. I’m afraid it’s very unlikely that she’ll ever walk again.” “And what am I supposed to say to Flippingshire?” “The Baron? I suppose you’ll have to tell him that his future wife has lost the use of her legs.”

And so forth. To create good dialogue exposition, look for little ways to work in the details of your story, instead of piling it up in one great clump.

2. Too much small talk

We looked at how each line of dialogue needs a specific purpose above. Very often small talk in a story happens because the writer doesn’t know what the scene is about. Small talk doesn’t move the scene along unless it’s there for a reason. If you’re not sure, ask yourself what each character wants in this moment.

For example, imagine you’re in an office, and two characters are talking by the water cooler. How was your weekend, what did you think of the game, how’s your wife doing, are those new shoes, etc etc. Can’t you just feel the reader’s will to live slipping away?

But what about this: your characters are talking by the water cooler—Character A and Character B. Character A knows that his friend is inside Character B’s office looking for evidence of corporate espionage, so A is doing everything he can to stop B from going in. How was your weekend, what did you think of the game, how’s your wife doing, are those new shoes, literally anything just to keep him talking. Suddenly these benign little phrases have a purpose.

If you find your characters slipping into small talk, double check that it’s there for a purpose, and not just a crutch to keep you from moving forward in your scene. When writing dialogue, Make each line of dialogue earn its place.

3. Too much repetition

Variation is the spice of a good story. To keep your readers engaged, avoid using the same sentence structure and the same dialogue tags over and over again. Using “he said” and “she said” is effective and clear cut, but only for about three beats. After that, try switching to an action tag instead or letting the line of dialogue stand on its own.

You can also experiment with varying the length of your sentences or groupings of sentences. By changing up the rhythm of your story regularly, you’ll keep it feeling fresh and present for the reader.

Effective dialogue examples from literature

With all of these tips and tricks in mind, let’s look at how other writers have used good dialogue to elevate their stories.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine , by Gail Honeyman

“I’m going to pick up a carryout and head round to my mate Andy’s. A few of us usually hang out there on Saturday nights, fire up the playstation, have a smoke and a few beers.” “Sounds utterly delightful,” I said. “What about you?” he asked. I was going home, of course, to watch a television program or read a book. What else would I be doing? “I shall return to my flat,” I said. “I think there might be a documentary about komodo dragons on BBC4 later this evening.”

In this dialogue example, the author gives her characters two very distinctive voices. From just a few words we can begin to see these people very clearly in our minds—and with this distinction comes the tension that drives the story. Dialogue is an excellent place to show your character dynamics using speech patterns and word choices.

Pride and Prejudice , by Jane Austen

“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day, “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?” Mr. Bennet replied that he had not. “But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.” Mr. Bennet made no answer. “Do you not want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife impatiently. “You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.” This was invitation enough. “Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”

In this famous dialogue example, the author illustrates the relationship between these two characters clearly and succinctly. Their dialogue shows Mr. B’s stalwart, tolerant love for his wife and Mrs. B’s excitement and propensity for gossip. The author shows us everything we need to know about these people in just a few lines.

Dinner in Donnybrook , by Maeve Binchy

“Look, I thought you ought to know, we’ve had a very odd letter from Carmel.” “A what… from Carmel?” “A letter. Yes, I know it’s sort of out of character, I thought maybe something might be wrong and you’d need to know…” “Yes, well, what did she say, what’s the matter with her?” “Nothing, that’s the problem, she’s inviting us to dinner.” “To dinner?” “Yes, it’s sort of funny, isn’t it? As if she wasn’t well or something. I thought you should know in case she got in touch with you.” “Did you really drag me all the way down here, third years are at the top of the house you know, I thought the house had burned down! God, wait till I come home to you. I’ll murder you.” “The dinner’s in a month’s time, and she says she’s invited Ruth O’Donnell.” “Oh, Jesus Christ.”

This dialogue example is a telephone conversation between two people. The lack of dialogue tags or action tags allows the words to come to the forefront and immerses us in their back-and-forth conversation. Even though there are no tags to indicate the speakers, the language is simple and straightforward enough that the reader always knows who’s talking. Through this conversation the author slowly builds the tension from the benign to the catastrophic within a domestic setting.

Compelling dialogue is the key to a good story

A writer has a lot riding on their characters’ dialogue, and learning how to write dialogue is a critical skill for any writer. When done well, it can leaves a lasting impact on the reader. But when dialogue is clumsy and awkward, it can drag your story down and make your reader feel like they’re wasting their time.

But if you keep these tips in mind, listen to dialogue in your everyday life, and practice , you’ll be sure to create realistic dialogue that brings your story to life.

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How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

• Write a story about your first day of school.
• Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

• Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
• Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Last updated on Sep 21, 2023

How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]

This post is written by author, editor, and bestselling ghostwriter Tom Bromley. He is the  instructor of Reedsy's 101-day course,  How to Write a Novel .

Good dialogue isn’t about quippy lines and dramatic pauses.

Good dialogue is about propelling the story forward, pulling the reader along, and fleshing out characters and their dynamics in front of readers. Well-written dialogue can take your story to a new level — you just have to unlock it.

In this article, I’ll break down the major steps of writing great dialogue, and provide exercises for you to practice your own dialogue on.

Here's how to write great dialogue in 9 steps:

1. Use quotation marks to signal speech

2. pace dialogue lines by three , 3. use action beats , 4. use ‘said’ as a dialogue tag  , 5. write scene-based dialogue, 6. model any talk on real life , 7. differentiate character voices, 8. "show, don't tell" information in conversation , 9. delete superfluous words, which dialogue tag are you.

Find out in just a minute.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, “Drama is life with all the boring bits cut out.”

Similarly, I could say that good dialogue in a novel is a real conversation without all the fluff — and with quotation marks. 

Imagine, for instance, if every scene with dialogue in your novel started out with:

'Hey, buddy! How are you doing?"

“Great! How are you?""

'Great! Long time no see! Parking was a nightmare, wasn’t it?"

Firstly, from a technical perspective, the quotation marks are inconsistent and incorrectly formatted. To learn about the mechanics of your dialogue and how to format it, we also wrote this full post on the topic that I recommend reading.

Secondly, from a novel perspective, such lines don’t add anything to the story. And finally, from a reading perspective, your readers will not want to sit through this over and over again. Readers are smart: they can infer that all these civilities occur. Which means that you can skip the small talk (unless it’s important to the story) to get to the heart of the dialogue from the get-go.  

For a more tangible example of this technique, check out the dialogue-driven opening to Barbara Kingsolver's novel, Unsheltered .

Screenwriter Cynthia Whitcomb once proposed an idea called the “Three-Beat Rule.” What this recommends, essentially, is to introduce a maximum of three dialogue “beats” (the short phrases in speech you can say without pausing for breath) at a time. Only after these three dialogue beats should you insert a dialogue tag, action beat, or another character’s speech.

Here’s an example from Jane Gardam’s short story, “Dangers”, in which the boy Jake is shooting an imaginary gun at his grandmother:

In theory, this sounds simple enough. In practice, however, it’s a bit more complicated than that, simply because dialogue conventions continue to change over time. There’s no way to condense “good dialogue” into a formula of three this, or two that. But if you’re just starting out and need a strict rule to help you along, then the Three-Beat Rule is a good place to begin experimenting.

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Let’s take a look at another kind of “beats” now — action beats.

Action beats are the descriptions of the expressions, movements, or even internal thoughts that accompany the speaker’s words. They’re always included in the same paragraph as the dialogue, so as to indicate that the person acting is also the person speaking.

On a technical level, action beats keep your writing varied, manage the pace of a dialogue-heavy scene, and break up the long list of lines ending in ‘he said’ or ‘she said’.

But on a character level, action beats are even more important because they can go a level deeper than dialogue and illustrate a character’s body language.

When we communicate, dialogue only forms a half of how we get across what we want to say. Body language is that missing half — which is why action beats are so important in visualizing a conversation, and can help you “show” rather than “tell” in writing.

Here’s a quick exercise to practice thinking about body language in the context of dialogue: imagine a short scene, where you are witnessing a conversation between two people from the opposite side of a restaurant or café. Because it’s noisy and you can’t hear what they are saying, describe the conversation through the use of body language only.

Remember, at the end of the day, action beats and spoken dialogue are partners in crime. These beats are a commonly used technique so you can find plenty of examples —  here’s one from  Never Let Me Go  by Kazuo Ishiguro . 

If there’s one golden rule in writing dialogue, it’s this: ‘said’ is your friend.

Yes, ‘said’ is nothing new. Yes, ‘said’ is used by all other authors out there already. But you know what? There’s a reason why ‘said’ is the king of dialogue tags: it works.

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The thinking goes that ‘said’ is so unpretentious, so unassuming that it focuses readers’ attention on what’s most important on the page: the dialogue itself. As writer Elmore Leonard puts it: 

“Never use a verb other than ‘said’ to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But ‘said’ is far less intrusive than ‘grumbled,’ ‘gasped,’ ‘cautioned,’ ‘lied.’”

It might be tempting at times to turn towards other words for ‘said’ such as ‘exclaimed,’ or ‘declared,’ but my general rule of thumb is that in 90% of scenarios, ‘said’ is going to be the most effective dialogue tag for you to use while writing dialogue.

So now that we have several guidelines in place, this is a good spot to pause, reflect, and say that there’s no wrong or right way to write dialogue. It depends on the demands of the scene, the characters, and the story. Great dialogue isn’t about following this or that rule — but rather learning what technique to use when . 

If you stick to one rule the whole time — i.e. if you only use ‘said,’ or you finish every dialogue line with an action beat — you’ll wear out readers. Let’s see how unnaturally it plays out in the example below with Sophie and Ethan: 

All of which is to say: don’t be afraid to make exceptions to the rule if the scene asks for it. The key is to know when to switch up your dialogue structure or use of dialogue tags or action beats throughout a scene — and by extension, throughout your book.

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Dialogue isn’t always about writing grammatically perfect prose. The way a person speaks reflects the way a person is — and not all people are straight-A honor students who speak in impeccable English. In real life, the way people talk is fragmented, and punctuated by pauses.

That’s something that you should also keep in mind when you’re aiming to write authentic dialogue.

It can be tempting to think to yourself, “ Oh, I’ll try and slip in some exposition into my dialogue here to reveal important background information.” But if that results in an info-dump such as this — “ I’m just going to the well, Mother — the well that my brother, your son, tragically fell down five years ago ” — then you’ll probably want to take a step back and find a more organic, timely, and digestible way to incorporate that into your story.

Kay Adams is Michael’s date at his sister’s wedding in this scene. Her interest in his family is natural enough that the expository conversation doesn’t feel shoehorned in. 

A distinctive voice for each character is perhaps the most important element to get right in dialogue. Just as no one person in the world talks the same as each other, no one person in your book should also talk similarly.

To get this part of writing dialogue down pat, you need to start out by knowing your characters inside out. How does your character talk? Do they come with verbal quirks? Non-verbal quirks?

Jay Gatsby’s “old sport,” for example, gives him a distinctive, recognizable voice. It stands out because no one else has something as memorable about their speech. But more than that, it reveals something valuable about Gatsby’s character: he’s trying to impersonates a gentleman in his speech and lifestyle.

Likewise, think carefully about your character’s voice, and use catchphrases and character quirks when they can say something about your character. 

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“Show, don’t tell” is one of the most oft-repeated rules in writing, and a conversation on the page can be a gold mine for “showing.”

Authors can use action beats and descriptions to provide clues for readers to read between the lines. Let’s revisit Sophie and Ethan in this example:

While Sophie claims she hasn’t been obsessing over this project all night, the actions in between her words indicate there’s nothing on her mind  but  work. The result is that you show , through the action beats vs. the dialogue, Sophie being hardworking—rather than telling it.

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As always when it comes to writing a novel: all roads lead back to The Edit, and the dialogue you’ve written is no exception.

So while you’re editing your novel at the end, you may find that a “less is more” mentality will be helpful. Remember to cut out the unnecessary bits of dialogue, so that you can focus on making sure the dialogue you  do  keep matters. Good writing is intentional and purposeful, always striving to keep the story going and readers engaged. The importance lies in quality rather than quantity. 

One point I haven’t addressed yet is repetition. If used well (i.e. with clear intention), repetition is a  literary device  that can help you build motifs in your writing. But when you find yourself repeating information in your dialogue, it might be a good time to revise your work. 

For instance, here’s a scene with Sophie and Ethan later on in the story: 

As I’ve mentioned before, good dialogue shows character — and dialogue itself is a playground where character dynamics play out. If you write and edit your dialogue with this in mind, then your dialogue will be sharper, cleaner, and more organic. 

I know that writing dialogue can be intimidating, especially if you don’t have much experience with it. But that should never keep you from including it in your work! Just remember that the more you practice — especially with the help of these tips — the better you’ll get.

And once you’re confident with the conversational content you can conjure up, follow along to the next part of our guide to see how you can punctuate and format your dialogue flawlessly .

As an editor and publisher, Tom has worked on several hundred titles, again including many prize-winners and international bestsellers. 

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The Art of Narrative

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How To Write Dialogue: 7 Steps To Writing Dialogue

Learn how to write and format dialogue, the secretes of dialogue punctuation, and the seven easy steps to writing a dialogue scene.

How to write dialogue is one of the first things a budding storyteller can master with just a bit of practice and effort. That’s not to say that writing dialogue is easy- it’s not. But, once you realize the purpose of dialogue in a story and hone in on all those pesky formatting rules, it can become intuitive. With a little bit of focused and consistent practice, you’ll be in a flow state before you know it! You’ll be cranking out conversations that sound natural, serve a purpose, and are entertaining as hell! 

Like everything, though, before you nail your dialogue, you’ve got to know the fundamentals. You can’t play Moonlight Sonata if you know where middle C is- know what I mean? Don’t worry though, because that’s precisely what we are going to cover in this post! The fundamentals of writing dialogue. How to format dialogue, what proper tags to use, and the overall purpose of dialogue in your story. Then I’ll take you through seven easy steps to writing your dialogue scene. Let’s get started! 

First off- 

Dialogue Format & Punctuation 

Quotation Marks 

Starting with the basics, when you write dialogue, you should enclose spoken words in quotation marks. Like this: 

Ex. “ I’m going to the store.” 

Quotation marks indicate to a reader that a character is speaking. Notice that everything else about this sentence is normal. It starts with a capital letter and ends with a period. That won’t always be the case, but we’ll get to that. 

Also, notice that the punctuation, in this case, a period, is inside the quotation marks . Punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks, whether it is a period, or question mark, or exclamation point. It doesn’t matter what the punctuation is; it goes inside the quotation marks. 

Enclose all your dialogue with quotation marks. 

Dialogue Tags 

Place dialogue tags outside of the quotation marks. By dialogue tag, I mean attribution, or ending a line of dialogue by indicating the speaker. 

Ex. “I’m going to the store,” Paul said. 

At the end of that sentence, ‘Paul said’ is the dialogue tag. The tag indicates that Paul is speaking. Notice how adding the dialogue tag changes the punctuation. A comma replaces the period. 

When ending with a dialogue tag, you’ll close your dialogue with a comma, close quotations, then add the dialogue tag. When a dialogue tag comes before the dialogue, you’ll reverse this order. 

Ex. Paul said, “I’m going to the store.” 

When the dialogue tag is before the dialogue, your comma is outside of the quotation marks. 

You can also use a colon to introduce dialogue, although this is not as common. 

Ex. Paul said: “I’m going to the store.” 

I’ve also seen authors employ a colon when they have a large cast of characters or want a quick flow to the dialogue. When doing this, the author will often just use the name of the person speaking as a tag. 

  Ex. Paul: “I’m going to the store.” 

Jenny: “Why? You just went yesterday?” 

Susie: “Can I go too?” 

Jenny: “You’re staying here.” 

Paul: “Listen to your mom, Susie.” 

You can see how this makes a conversation seem quick and can also add tension. However, this is not a technique you want to use all the time as it removes action beats and will lose its effectiveness. 

Questions and Exclamatory Statements in Dialogue 

If you end a quotation with a question mark or exclamation point, then they will replace the comma. Don’t capitalize the first word of the dialogue tag. 

Ex. “May I go to the store?” asked Paul. 

Or , “I’m going to the store!” said Paul. 

Multiple Speakers 

With two or more speakers, break the characters’ dialogue into separate paragraphs. 

Jenny said, “Oh my God, Paul. You’ve been to the store four times this month!” 

“What are you trying to say, Jenny?” Paul asked. 

“You know exactly what I’m saying, Paul. You’re going to the store four times a week. You’ve been working late every day. You’re up all night texting on your phone. I know exactly what’s going on. I’m not stupid. How could you do this to little Susie and me?” 

Paul threw his keys down on the table. He sat down, “Ok, let’s talk. I’ve got something to tell you, Jenny.” 

Properly formatted, each speaker gets their paragraph. Separated paragraphs create dialogue that’s clear for the reader. It cuts down on the number of dialogue tags you’ll have to use, especially if there are only two speakers. The reader will know that a new paragraph indicates a new speaker. 

Action Beats 

Action beats break up dialogue; it can also act as a dialogue tag, indicating the speaker. Action beats do other important things like giving the readers spatial awareness in the scene. You can use it to show the mood of the characters and the tone of the scene. 

Separate action beats that happen before or after the dialogue. Write these action beats as a single sentence. 

Ex. Paul grabbed his keys off the counter. “I’m going to the store.” 

Action beats can also interrupt the conversation. In this case, use commas to separate the action beat. 

Ex. “I’m going to the store,” he burped, “My stomach’s killing me.” 

Interruptions 

Dialogue can be interrupted by action beats or another character’s dialogue. In those cases where it’s a sudden interruption, you’ll use a long dash, also called an em dash. The em dash will replace the words your character would say if they weren’t interrupted. 

Ex. “I’m going to the—”

“Store. We know!” Jenny said. 

There are also times when a character may trail off. They may get lost in contemplation or forget something. In those instances, you’ll use ellipses. 

Ex. “I’m going to the…” 

“To where?” Jenny asked. 

“I forgot,” Paul said. 

One last style point. You can also use an em dash when an action beat interrupts dialogue. In this case, the em dash will go outside the quotation marks. 

Ex. “I’m going”— Paul dropped his keys on the floor—” damn it!” He bent over to pick them up. “I’m going to the store.” 

Keep in mind that an em dash indicates an abrupt interruption. 

If a character speaks for a long time, and the dialogue needs multiple paragraphs, you will open the quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph. You won’t close the quotation marks until the last paragraph. 

Ex. “Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in this history of mankind.

“Mankind — that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.

“Perhaps its fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution — but from annihilation. We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist.”

Wrapping up 

A few final words on formatting dialogue. It can be pretty confusing. I know because I was confused while researching for this article. I’ll drop a few links at the bottom of this post to the articles I used for research.  

If you’re shaky on the rules, my best advice would be to keep your dialogue simple. Don’t insert a bunch of interrupting action beats or have ten different characters in one scene if you’re not sure what you’re doing. The simpler the dialogue is, the less likely you are to make a mistake. 

And, if you think I’ve gotten something wrong, please let me know in the comments!

What is a dialogue tag? A dialogue tag, or attribution, is a small piece of text that lets your reader know who is speaking. 

Ex. Paul said, Jenny asked, Susie whispered 

We talked about punctuating dialogue tags in the section above, but here’s a quick refresher. Dialogue tags can come at the beginning of your sentence. In that case, separate tags from the dialogue with a comma that will go outside the quotation marks.  

Ex. Jenny asked, “Do we have any eggs in the house?” 

Dialogue tags can come in the middle of dialogue. In that case, the tag is separated by commas on both sides of the tag. The first comma will be inside the quotations, and the second will be outside the quotation marks. 

Ex. “I’m going to the store,” Paul said, “I’ll get a carton of eggs while I’m there.” 

And finally, a dialogue tag can come at the end of the dialogue. This time you’ll want to separate the tag with a comma inside the quotation marks. 

Ex. “I’m glad he’s leaving,” Susie whispered. 

How often should you use dialogue tags? 

You don’t have to end every piece of dialogue with an attribution. You only want to use dialogue tags to clarify who is speaking. If your tags distract from or confuse the dialogue, you should cut them. 

If you read all three examples above, you’ll notice that the dialogue tags are a bit distracting. However, there are three people in the scene. Without attribution, the reader would be confused about who is speaking. If I were writing that scene, I would replace one, or more, of the tags with an action beat to break up the monotony. 

Jenny slammed the fridge door shut, “Do we have any eggs in the house?” 

“I’m going to the store,” Paul said, “I’ll get a carton of eggs while I’m there.” 

“I’m glad he’s leaving,” Jenny heard Susie whisper from beneath the kitchen table. 

That’s not perfect, but it’s better than before. You can also delete tags entirely if your reader can tell who’s speaking without the attribution. 

Said vs. Other Verbs for ‘said’ 

Browsing through Pinterest, I see several infographics with titles like, “100 words to use instead of SAID.” Usually, I roll my eyes at these. I’m a firm believer in using ‘said’ for statements and ‘ask’ for questions. All the other verbs are distracting, and many writers will view their use as the sign of an amateur. 

Read more about this on my post, 5 Don’ts of Dialogue. 

There are two reasons authors advise you not to use a bunch of fancy verbs like exclaimed or mumbled when ‘said’ gets the job done. 

• ‘Said’ verbs distract the reader from your dialogue, which should be the essential part of your writing. 
• Your dialogue and action beats should show your character’s emotional state, and you shouldn’t rely on verbs like, ‘yelled,’ or ‘stuttered’ to do this for you.  

Take a look at my example above- Jenny slammed the fridge door shut, “Do we have any eggs in the house?” What emotional state is Jenny in? She’s frustrated, and we know this because she’s slamming the refrigerator door, rather than closing it.  

I could have written, “ Do we have any eggs in the house,” Jenny yelled. But the action beat of slamming the door has more weight and makes the scene more interesting. If you get into the habit of telegraphing your characters’ emotions through verbs like yelled or cried, your writing will be as dull as ditchwater. 

This part is a rant, and you can skip this paragraph if you like— the reason people tell you not to use ‘said’ is because it’s “boring,” and it will make your writing dull, they claim. But relying on exciting verbs rather than action and dialogue is what makes your writing boring. So, when people tell you not to use ‘said,’ it’s just bad advice. Don’t listen to it! 

Now, like every rule, there are exceptions. You can sneak a ‘whispered’ in now and then, but for most of your attributions stick with ‘said’ or ‘asked.’ 

If you want to read more about this, I’ll link an entertaining article from Joe Bunting at the bottom of this post. 

Dialogue Examples 

To learn how to write dialogue you need look at some examples. So, take a look at the following two scenes. Try to identify character goals, and action beats. Ask yourself how each line of dialogue and action beat pushes the narrative foward.

7 Easy Steps to Writing Fantastic Dialogue 

Determine the purpose of your dialogue

Before you sit down to write a dialogue-heavy scene, you want to ask yourself what the goal of this dialogue is. What do I mean by this? Well, a couple of things. 

First, in a broad sense, dialogue should usually serve one of two goals. It should either tell the reader something about the plot of your story. Or, it should illustrate to the reader something about the characters in your plot. Therefore, the two goals of dialogue are either exposition or characterization. So, determine which of those two goals (or it could be both) your dialogue scene serves. 

The other purpose that dialogue has is specific to individual characters and will talk about that in the next step. 

Who are the characters, and what are their goals? 

Now, you need to populate your scene with characters. These characters are going to be talking, but it shouldn’t be idle small talk. Sure, small talk happens in real life, but it doesn’t serve a purpose in stories, so it doesn’t belong. 

That’s not to say that you can’t have dialogue that seems like small talk but has a profound meaning or subtext. 

Each of your characters should have a goal within the scene. The goal can be big or small. Characters just need to want something. Everything they say should be in service of that goal or desire. They may not be upfront about what they want; it’s more interesting if they aren’t, but their dialogue should be designed to attain something. 

So, know what each characters’ goals are and write dialogue that makes sense for those goals.  

Develop a unique voice for each character 

One of the ways you can avoid an excessive amount of dialogue tags is by giving characters a unique way of speaking. Create individual speech through the use of slang, or tone, or a particular dialect. But, be careful with accents, as in be respectful and accurate. 

You create a difference in the emotional state of each character. One character could be icy and collected, and the other can be on a hair-trigger. Or, you can have one character speak very professionally or technically while having another character who uses colloquialisms. Pay attention to the differences in the ways people in your life express themselves, and use those real-life speech patterns in your plot. 

Make sure that characters don’t sound and talk alike. That’s not realistic, and it’s hard for readers to follow. 

What action beats will break up your dialogue? 

Once you know who your characters are, what they want, and how they speak, it’s time to consider what they are doing. Remember that action beats break up the dialogue, and make your story more exciting. But, they are also crucial for characterization. A character who slams and throws things is mad. A character who tiptoes and whispers is sneaky. 

Let’s talk about conflict. 

Your characters have goals in every scene. Conflict arises when something gets in the way of your characters accomplishing their goals. The things that get in your character’s way vary from other characters to physical barriers, to literal fighting. 

A great tactic is to have characters with opposing goals. That’s the best way to have your conflict show up in the dialogue. Have fun with characters that conflict but outwardly seem polite because they don’t want to show their cards. Or you can have characters who, straight up, argue. 

Find a way to insert the scene’s conflict into the dialogue. 

Check your punctuation and formatting. 

For this, you can use a grammar software. I use Grammarly and ProWritingAid, but ProWritingAid has an actual dialogue report. However, no software is going to catch all the subtle rules of dialogue. You’ll want to partner with a human editor, professional or otherwise, to help you with this process. 

Tighten it up (did you accomplish your goals? Cut everything else out)

A rule of thumb for scene writing is to cut to the action as early as possible. The same can be said for dialogue. If the action of a dialogue scene is an argument then you need to get to it as early as possible. 

Cut all the small talk, meaning cut dialogue that doesn’t push a character or story goal forward. 

Hopefully you’ve got a handle on how to write dialogue.

The last thing I want you to do before you leave is to take what you’ve learned and use it! Go and open your word processor of choice. Come up with a few characters; I would stick to two if you’re just starting. But, if you’re feeling ambitious, then, by all means, add three or four characters. Then, write a dialogue scene by going through the seven steps above. As you’re writing, only worry about this single scene. 

Don’t think of it in terms of a larger story beyond what you might need to know for context. And it doesn’t have to be very long. Five or six hundred words should do. When you’re done with the scene, put it away. You don’t have to do anything else with it. It’s just practice! Then do it again, and again, and again, and pretty soon, you’ll be a master of dialogue! 

This post contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links .

Read More About Dialogue:

“In Dialogue, McKee offers the same in-depth analysis for how characters speak on the screen, on the stage, and on the page in believable and engaging ways. From Macbeth to Breaking Bad, McKee deconstructs key scenes to illustrate the strategies and techniques of dialogue. Dialogue applies a framework of incisive thinking to instruct the prospective writer on how to craft artful, impactful speech. Famous McKee alumni include Peter Jackson, Jane Campion, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Haggis, the writing team for Pixar, and many others.”

 “In  How to Write Dazzling Dialogue  you’ll learn:

• What fictional dialogue is … and isn’t
• The 11 secrets of crafting memorable dialogue
• The 5 essential tasks of dialogue
• 5 ways to improve your dialogue ear
• 4 can’t-miss methods to increase conflict and tension in any dialogue exchange
• The top 10 dialogue issues, and how to resolve them”

Resources: 

How to Format Dialogue- Masterclass 

How to Punctuate Dialogue- The Editor’s Blog

A Critical DON’T for Writing Dialogue- The Write Practice

Dialogue Tags: What they are and how to use them- The Write Practice

Published by John

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2 comments on “How To Write Dialogue: 7 Steps To Writing Dialogue”

Excellent tips, John! Thanks for sharing 😊.

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How to Format Dialogue: Complete Guide

Dialogue formatting matters. Whether you’re working on an essay, novel, or any other form of creative writing. Perfectly formatted dialogue makes your work more readable and engaging for the audience.

In this article, you’ll learn the dialogue formatting rules. Also, we’ll share examples of dialogue in essays for you to see the details.

What is a Dialogue Format?

Dialogue format is a writing form authors use to present characters' communication. It's common for play scripts, literature works, and other forms of storytelling.

A good format helps the audience understand who is speaking and what they say. It makes the communication clear and enjoyable. In dialogue writing, we follow the basic grammar rules like punctuation and capitalization. They help us illustrate the speaker’s ideas.

General Rules to Follow When Formatting a Dialogue

Dialogue writing is an essential skill for both professionals and scholars . It shows your ability to express the issues and ideas of other people in different setups. The core rules of formatting are about punctuation. So, below is a quick reminder on punctuation marks’ names:

And now, to practice.

Please follow these rules for proper dialogue formatting:

•  Use quotation marks. Enclose the speaker’s words in double quotations. It helps readers distinguish between a character’s speech and a narrator’s comments.
•  Place punctuation inside quotation marks. All punctuation like commas, exclamations, or interrogation marks, go inside the double quotations.
•  Keep dialogue tags behind quotation marks. A dialogue tag is (1) words framing direct speech to convey the context and emotions of a conversation. For example, in (“I can’t believe this is you,” she replied.), the dialogue tag is “she replied.”
•  Use an ellipsis or em-dashes for pauses or interruptions. To show interruptions or pauses, end phrases with ellipses inside quotations. Em-dashes go outside quotations. No other extra marks are necessary here.
•  Remember a character’s voice.  Ensure that each character’s phrases reflect their background and personality.

5 More Rules to Know (+ Examples of Dialogue)

For proper formatting of dialogue in writing, stick to the following rules:

1. Each speaker’s saying comes in a new paragraph

Begin a new paragraph whenever a new character starts speaking. It allows you to differentiate speakers and make their conversation look more organized. (2)

“Has Mr. de Winter been in?” I said.    “Yes, Madam,” said Robert; “he came in just after two, and had a quick lunch, and then went out again. He asked for you and Frith said he thought you must have gone down to see the ship.”    “Did he say when he would be back again?” I asked.    “No, Madam.” — from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

2. Separate dialogue tags with commas

When using dialogue tags ( e.g., “she said,” “he replied,”), separate them with commas. 

For example:

“You’ve got to do something right now , ” Aaron said , “Mom is really hurting. She says you have to drive her to the hospital.” “Actually, Dad , ” said Caleb, sidling in with his catalog , “There’s someplace you can drive me, too.” “No, Caleb.” — from The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

3. When quoting within dialogue, place single quotes

If a character cites somebody or something while speaking, we call it a reported dialogue. In this case, use single quotations within double ones you place for a direct speech. It will help readers see that it’s a quote.

John started to cry. “When you said, ‘I never wanted to meet you again in my life!’ It hurts my feelings.”

4. You can divide a character’s long speech into paragraphs

Dialogue writing is different when a person speaks for a longer time. It’s fine to divide it into shorter paragraphs. Ensure the proper quotation marks placing:

 The first quotation mark goes at the beginning of the dialogue. Each later paragraph also starts with it until that direct speech ends.

 The second quotation mark — the one “closing” the monologue — goes at the dialogue’s end.

Josphat took a deep breath and began. “ Here’s the things about lions. They’re dangerous creatures. They only know how to kill. Have you ever seen a lion in an open area? Probably not. Because if you had you’d be dead now. “ I saw a lion once. I was fetching firewood to cook lunch. All of a sudden I found myself face to face with a lion. My heart stopped. I knew it was my end on earth. If it wasn’t the poachers we wouldn’t be having this talk. ”

Yet, you can keep a long text as a whole by adding some context with dialogue tags. Like here:

As you can see, there’s no quotation mark at the end of the paragraph in red. It’s because the next “Ha! ha!” paragraph continues the character’s speech.

5. Use action beats

Describe actions to provide context and keep readers engaged. Help them “hear” your characters. Punctuation also helps here: exclamation (!) or interrogation with exclamations (?!) demonstrate the corresponding tone of your narrative.

He slammed the door and shouted , “I can’t believe you did that ! “

Mistakes to Avoid When Formatting Dialogue

A good dialogue is a powerful instrument for a writer to show the character’s nature to the audience. Below are the mistakes to avoid in formatting if you want to reach that goal.

 So, please don’t :

• Allow characters to speak for too long. Writing long paragraphs will bore the reader, making them skip through your speech. Short but sweet talk is the best. When writing, aim to be brief, dynamic, and purposeful. If your character speaks too much, generating opinion essays , ensure this speech makes sense and serves a bigger purpose.
• Overburden dialogue with exposition.  Avoid telling the story background or building sophisticated words in your characters’ speeches. Instead, reveal the narrative content in small bursts and blend it around the rest of the prose. Convey it through your character’s actions and thoughts rather than summaries and explanations.
• Create rhetorical flourishes. Make your characters sound natural. Let them speak the way they’d do if they were real people. Consider their age, profession, and cultural background — and choose lexical items that fit them most.
• Use repetitive dialogue tags. Constant “he asked” and “she said” sounds monotonous. Diversify your tags: use power verbs, synonyms, and dialogue beats.

Frequently Asked Questions by Students

How to format dialogue in an essay.

Formatting a dialogue in an essay is tricky for most students. Here’s how to do it: Enclose the speaker’s words with double quotations and start every other character’s line from a new paragraph. Stick to the citation styles like APA or MLA to ensure credibility. 

How to format dialogue in a novel?

 A dialogue in a novel follows all the standard rules for clarity and readability. Ensure to use attributions, quotation marks, and paragraph format. It makes your dialogue flow, grabbing the reader’s attention.

How to format dialogue in a book?

Dialogue formatting in a book is critical for storytelling. It helps the audience distinguish the hero’s words. Follow the general rules we’ve discussed above:

Use double quotations and isolate dialogue tags with commas. Remember to place the discussion in blocks for better readability.

How to format dialogue between two characters?

A two-character dialogue offers the best way to prove successful formatting skills. Ensure you use action beats, quotations, and attribution tags. It allows readers to follow the conversation and understand it better.

What is the purpose of dialogue in a narrative essay?  

Dialogue writing is the exchange of views between two or more people to reach a consensus. It reveals the character’s attitude and argumentation. Last but not least, it helps convey the descriptive nature of your narrative essay.

References:

• https://valenciacollege.edu/students/learning-support/winter-park/communications/documents/WritingDialogueCSSCTipSheet_Revised_.pdf
• https://www.ursinus.edu/live/files/1158-formatting-dialogue
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How To Write Dialogue In A Story (With Examples)

One of the biggest mistakes made by writers is how they use dialogue in their stories. Today, we are going to teach you how to write dialogue in a story using some easy and effective techniques. So, get ready to learn some of the best techniques and tips for writing dialogue!

There are two main reasons why good dialogue is so important in works of fiction. First, good dialogue helps keep the reader interested and engaged in the story. Second, it makes your work easier to write, read and understand. So, if you want to write dialogue that is interesting, engaging and easy to read, keep on reading. We will be teaching you the best techniques and tips for writing dialogue in a story.

Internal vs External Dialogue

Direct vs indirect dialogue, 20 tips for formatting dialogue in stories, step 1: use a dialogue outline, step 2: write down a script, step 3: edit & review your script, step 4: sprinkle in some narrative, step 5: format your dialogue, what is dialogue .

Dialogue is the spoken words that are spoken between the characters of a story. It is also known as the conversation between the characters. Dialogue is a vital part of a story. It is the vehicle of the characters’ thoughts and emotions. Good dialogue helps show the reader how the characters think and feel. It also helps the reader better understand what is happening in the story. Good dialogue should be interesting, informative and natural. 

In a story, dialogue can be expressed internally as thoughts, or externally through conversations between characters. A character thinking to themself would be considered internal dialogue. Here there is no one else, just one character thinking or speaking to themselves:

Mary thought to herself, “what if I can do better…”

While two or more characters talking to each other in a scene would be an external dialogue:

“Watch out!” cried Sam. “What’s wrong with you?” laughed Kate.

In most cases, the words spoken by your character will be inside quotation marks. This is called direct dialogue. And then everything outside the quotation marks is called narrative:

“What do you want?” shrieked Penelope as she grabbed her notebooks. “Oh, nothing… Just checking if you needed anything,” sneered Peter as he tried to peek over at her notes.

Indirect dialogue is a summary of your dialogue. It lets the reader know that a conversation happened without repeating it exactly. For example:

She was still fuming from last night’s argument. After being called a liar and a thief, she had no choice but to leave home for good.

Direct dialogue is useful for quick conversations, while indirect dialogue is useful for summarising long pieces of dialogue. Which otherwise can get boring for the reader. Writers can combine both types of dialogue to increase tension and add drama to their stories.

Now you know some of the different types of dialogue in stories, let’s learn how to write dialogue in a story.

Here are the main tips to remember when formatting dialogue in stories or works of fiction:

• Always use quotation marks: All direct dialogue is written inside quotation marks, along with any punctuation relating to that dialogue.

• Don’t forget about dialogue tags: Dialogue tags are used to explain how a character said something.  Each tag has at least one noun or pronoun, and one verb indicating how the dialogue is spoken. For example, he said, she cried, they laughed and so on.

• Dialogue before tags: Dialogue before the dialogue tags should start with an uppercase. The dialogue tag itself begins with a lowercase.

• Dialogue after tags: Both the dialogue and dialogue tags start with an uppercase to signify the start of a conversation. The dialogue tags also have a comma afterwards, before the first set of quotation marks.

• Lowercase for continued dialogue: If the same character continues to speak after the dialogue tags or action, then this dialogue continues with a lowercase.

• Action after complete dialogue: Any action or narrative text after completed dialogue starts with an uppercase as a new sentence.

• Action interrupting dialogue: If the same character pauses their dialogue to do an action, then this action starts with a lowercase.

• Interruptions by other characters: If another character Interrupts a character’s dialogue, then their action starts with an uppercase on a new line. And an em dash (-) is used inside the quotation marks of the dialogue that was interrupted. 

• Use single quotes correctly: Single quotes mean that a character is quoting someone else.

• New paragraphs equal new speaker: When a new character starts speaking, it should be written in a new paragraph. 

• Use question marks correctly: If the dialogue ends with a question mark, then the part after the dialogue should begin with a lowercase.

• Exclamation marks: Similar to question marks, the next sentence should begin with a lowercase. 

• Em dashes equal being cut off: When a character has been interrupted or cut off in the middle of their speech, use an em dash (-).

• Ellipses mean trailing speech: When a character is trailing off in their speech or going on and on about something use ellipses (…). This is also good to use when a character does not know what to say.

• Spilt long dialogue into paragraphs: If a character is giving a long speech, then you can split this dialogue into multiple paragraphs. 

• Use commas appropriately: If it is not the end of the sentence then end the dialogue with a comma.

• Full stops to end dialogue: Dialogue ending with a full stop means it is the end of the entire sentence. 

• Avoid fancy dialogue tags: For example, ‘he moderated’ or ‘she articulated’. As this can distract the reader from what your characters are actually saying and the content of your story. It’s better to keep things simple, such as using he said or she said.
• No need for names: Avoid repeating your character’s name too many times. You could use pronouns or even nicknames. 
• Keep it informal: Think about how real conversations happen. Do people use technical or fancy language when speaking? Think about your character’s tone of voice and personality, what would they say in a given situation? 

Remember these rules, and you’ll be able to master dialogue writing in no time!

How to Write Dialogue in 5 Steps

Dialogue is tricky. Follow these easy steps to write effective dialogue in your stories or works of fiction:

A dialogue outline is a draft of what your characters will say before you actually write the dialogue down. This draft can be in the form of notes or any scribblings about your planned dialogue. Using your overall book outline , you can pinpoint the areas where you expect to see the most dialogue used in your story. You can then plan out the conversation between characters in these areas. 

A good thing about using a dialogue outline is that you can avoid your characters saying the same thing over and over again. You can also skim out any unnecessary dialogue scenes if you think they are unnecessary or pointless. 

Here is an example of a dialogue outline for a story:

You even use a spreadsheet to outline your story’s dialogue scenes.

In this step, you will just write down what the characters are saying in full. Don’t worry too much about punctuation and the correct formatting of dialogue. The purpose of this step is to determine what the characters will actually say in the scene and whether this provides any interesting information to your readers.

Start by writing down the full script of your character’s conversations for each major dialogue scene in your story. Here is an example of a dialogue script for a story:

Review your script from the previous step, and think about how it can be shortened or made more interesting. You might think about changing a few words that the characters use to make it sound more natural. Normally the use of slang words and informal language is a great way to make dialogue between characters sound more natural. You might also think about replacing any names with nicknames that characters in a close relationship would use. 

The script might also be too long with plenty of unnecessary details that can be removed or summarised as part of the narration in your story (or as indirect dialogue). Remember the purpose of dialogue is to give your story emotion and make your characters more realistic. At this point you might also want to refer back to your character profiles , to see if the script of each character matches their personality. 

Once your script has been perfected, you can add some actions to make your dialogue feel more believable to readers. Action or narrative is the stuff that your characters are actually doing throughout or in between dialogue. For example, a character might be packing up their suitcase, as they are talking about their holiday plans. This ‘narrative’ is a great way to break up a long piece of dialogue which otherwise could become boring and tedious for readers. 

You have now planned your dialogue for your story. The final step is to incorporate these dialogue scenes into your story. Remember to follow our formatting dialogue formatting rules explained above to create effective dialogue for your stories!

That’s all for today! We hope this post has taught you how to write dialogue in a story effectively. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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20 Dialogue Writing Prompts to Level Up Your Story

by Sue Weems | 0 comments

Dialogue is an essential component for most stories, whether it's for a narrative essay, memoir, or fiction. Even if you're writing nonfiction, you'll likely use stories to illustrate your point, and those stories will include dialogue. Today we have some dialogue writing prompts to help you write better dialogue while you develop some story ideas.  

We've explored why you need dialogue and how to use dialogue tags correctly in your work. But today, let's get down to how to actually write it with some dialogue prompts to get you started. 

When I work with writers, they usually fall into two camps when it comes to dialogue. Some think they are terrific at capturing everyday conversations and have no problem adding them to their stories, but the problem with everyday conversations? They are mostly boring and full of repetition.

“How was your day?” “Uh, fine.”

(Nothing is happening here, yet. I'd strike this from a story unless something in the rest of the scene makes these two lines essential.)

Other writers understand why they need dialogue, but they feel uncomfortable putting together engaging conversations that move their stories forward, especially when writing memoir. 

Both types of writers often misunderstand the purpose of dialogue for a specific purpose in a story. It's so much more than capturing a casual conversation between two people in a Taco Bell. Those conversations can certainly be terrific IF they are essential and move the story forward. But how do you know?

The 1 question that will improve your dialogue

I use several questions to help me evaluate my dialogue, but one is indispensable. Try it in your dialogue exercises and see if it doesn't tighten your story and character development .

Here's the question: 

1. Why does this dialogue exchange matter?

This question helps me decide which lines of dialogue are necessary. 

The answer needs to be directly related to either character or advancing the plot . 

Let's say that I'm working on a dialogue exercise for a story where a new detective is questioning a suspect with a long list of prior offenses. The scenes leading up to this dialogue exchange have probably already revealed that the detective is a novice and the suspect is a walking crime wave. So what purpose can the conversation serve?

If I'm trying to highlight the detective's inexperience, I'll focus on questions that are ineffective that the suspect easily evades. The suspect's dialogue lines will be smug while the detective's lines will be rattled and ineffective. 

If I'm trying to show that the detective is new, but sharp in unexpected ways, the dialogue exchange will include his confidence and technique throwing the suspect off, maybe even revealing things they never meant to say.

As you write dialogue and later revise dialogue, make sure each exchange is necessary for the story and does not repeat information included elsewhere. That will keep you from having characters stand around talking about the weather when it doesn't matter for the story, relationship, or character arc. 

And if that doesn't come naturally, don't worry! You just need practice. Here are a bunch of dialogue prompts to help you build those dialogue writing skills. 

Creative Dialogue Writing Prompts

I've organized these prompts according to a few of our reasons to use dialogue, from our article on Why Dialogue is Importan t. Choose the one that gets your pen moving!

1. Write a short scene where a character asks the other, “Why are you always so secretive?”

2. Create a conversation about finding a stray dog where it reveals something unexpected about one or both characters.

3. Start a story with the line, “But mother, I've only gotten rid of the last five.”

4. Write a dialogue exchange where someone is confronted after they lost a family member's most prized possession.

5. Create a conversation where one character leans heavily on sarcasm and the other doesn't.

6. Write a scene where a character is caught somewhere they don't want to be in an evening news segment.

7. Create a conversation between an assassin and their would-be target that complicates the mission. 

8. Start a conversation with “I'm not sure this is what I want.”

9. Write a conversation before, during, or after a catastrophic act of nature like a landslide or hurricane.

10. Create a dialogue exchange that includes the phrase, “Except it didn't happen.”

11. Begin a conversation with, “Did you hear that?”

12. Write a conversation that takes place in a small enclosed space.

13. Create an exchange where someone says, “That wasn't me.”

14. Write a character's thoughts as they wait for a big moment that's minutes from happening.

15. Begin a scene with, “Hurry! We don't have much time.”

16. Write a scene where someone delivers bad news that changes the course of the story.

17. Start a conversation between characters with, “But you used to want to…”

18. Create a conversation that changes one character's decision or direction in the story. 

19. Begin a dialogue scene with, “So what's holding you back?”

20. Write a conversation that heightens the stakes in an argument.

Dialogue is essential for your story, so take the time to make it strong. Hopefully one of these prompts has given you ideas for writing today! 

What questions do you ask yourself as you evaluate dialogue? Share with us in the comments .

Choose one of the dialogue prompts above and set your timer for 15 minutes . For the first 8 minutes, write the dialogue exchange, and don't worry about formatting or punctuation for now. Let the words flow.

Then for the last 7 minutes, read back through the dialogue and cut anything that doesn't reveal character or advance the plot, conflict, or suspense.  

When you're finished, share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop , and leave feedback for a few other writers too.

Not a member? Join us !  

Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

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What is the Purpose of Dialogue in a Narrative Essay?

In a narrative essay, the writer conveys the story using first-person narration and often emphasizes particular personal experiences of life. Such essays and stories are non-fiction but it encompasses some fictional elements. However, one of the most significant elements in a narrative essay is dialogue through which the message deliverance takes place.

Dialogues are considered a crucial tool in an essay. It not only allows characters to do conversations but is also useful regarding other aspects. Anyhow, let’s explore what is the purpose of dialogue in a narrative essay and how to write them effectively.

What is a Dialogue?

From an existing writing stance, dialogue is the means of communication between two or more characters, which is generally spoken loud. Usually, within an essay or a story, a dialogue is denoted by quotation marks or dialogue tags.

Anyhow, there are two types of dialogues:

Direct Dialogue

Direct dialogue is the speech using the exact words of the speaker or the character. In this case, quotation marks are placed around the direct dialogues.

For instance,

Katherine asked Maria, “Why do you look sad?”

Indirect Dialogue

Indirect dialogue is someone’s speech that is conveyed by a third person or something which is not said or written in the exact words.

For example,

Katherine asked Maria why she looked sad.

How Dialogue Matters in a Narrative Essay?

Let’s discover some important roles of dialogue within an essay or a story.

It Gives the Character Life

Dialogue can help characters grow. In fact, at least one of the characters should shift expression in every successful discussion. Also, dialogues within an essay are explicitly helpful in driving the plot and generating connections and relationships between numerous characters. It directly reveals the events that may not be deceptive by the description. Through dialogue, characters experience a variety of feelings that may be lost if they were narrated by a narrator.

It Outlines the Character

Character qualities can also be revealed through dialogue. Since the writer is the protagonist in a personal narrative, the author’s interaction with others is equally significant. To give the essay reality, the language serves to convey each character’s true personality and voice. At the same time, the author allows the characters to speak for themselves without interfering too much. The conversation also expresses the feelings of the characters and demonstrates how they connect with one another.

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It Shows, Not Tells

You must have been hearing this old piece of advice by your instructor while writing a descriptive essay: “Show, don’t tell.” Dialogue may be utilized to add authenticity to a personal narrative and to make the story more realistic by demonstrating rather than telling the reader what is going on. It reveals emotion and information through sensory aspects like seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting.

For example, consider the following sentence: “William was enraged after Oscar deceived him.” Rather, if the author preferred dialogue, he or she may write, “William walked around the room stomping his feet. ‘Ah! What right does he have to say that? How could he betray me like that?'” Without mentioning the word “angry,” the latter conveys fury through conversation.

It Moves the Essay Ahead

The purpose of dialogue in a narrative essay is to assist the plot’s progress by recreating people’s discussions and ideas. External conversation refers to spoken words, whereas internal dialogue refers to notions and ideas. One or both of these sorts of dialogues can be found in a personal narrative essay. The pace of the story can also be accelerated by using dialogue, while the narration slows it down. It can also be used to break up extended paragraphs of narrative.

How to Write Dialogue in a Narrative Essay?

Although composing dialogue might be difficult, proficient writing requires consistency and knowledge of convention. To organize your discussion on the page, follow these formatting principles.

Place Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are usually placed around direct dialogues when you write the exact words of someone within the content. However, make sure to place the period within the quotation marks.

Mark said, “let’s go shopping.”

Put Dialogue Tags Outside the Quotations

Dialogue tags assign a line of dialogue to one of the characters, that enables the reader to figure out who is delivering the dialogue. The dialogue tags should be placed outside the quotation marks, whereas the punctuation should be placed within.

“I’m starving,” Karen said.

However, if the dialogue tag comes in first, then the comma would be placed outside the quotation marks.

Karen said, “I’m starving.”

On the other hand, if there is an exclamation or question mark at the end of the dialogue, then it would be placed inside the quotation marks.

“I’m starving!” Karen said.

John asked, “Would you like to eat pizza?”

Begin Dialogue in a Separate Sentence

If an event takes place before or after the dialogue, make sure to begin it with a new sentence. Or, in other words, when you start a new dialogue after the description, start it from a separate sentence.

Adam immediately went out of the room and saw Carol.

“What are you doing here?” asked Carol.

Use Single Quote Marks When There is Dialogue within the Dialogue

If the character is saying something and delivering someone else’s dialogue within their dialogue, then you would use two quotation marks. One would be the inverted commas around the main dialogue and single quotation marks (apostrophe) around the internal dialogue.

Olivia suggested, “When you asked, ‘Which profession should I choose?’ the medical field instantly came to my mind.”

Use Lowercase When the Dialogue Interrupts

If an action or dialogue tag comes between a single dialogue and it is broken down into two segments, then the first letter of the second segment would be in lowercase.

“After tomorrow,” said James, “she will never come back.”

Avoid Adding Extra Punctuation Marks

If the dialogue ends with an ellipsis, you should not place any comma or other punctuation mark, instead of the three periods. Usually, ellipses are used to indicate faltering speech.

Jasmine was trying to recall the event, “I… I don’t remember what happened last night…”

So, we hope this article has answered a few questions. What is the purpose of dialogue in a narrative essay? How to write a dialogue in a narrative essay? Although we’ve all spent our lives reading, it’s not until we have to create a conversation that we comprehend the complexities involved. How do you decide where a dialogue tag should go? This is frequently an aesthetic decision rather than a clear and fast law. I frequently use the tag where it appears to be the least obtrusive. When a speaker tag is required, it should be as “transparent” as possible to avoid interfering with fluent reading.

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What is the Purpose of Dialogue in a Narrative Essay

October 25, 2023

Understanding Dialogue in Narrative Essays

Dialogue plays a vital role in narrative essays, serving various purposes that enhance the overall storytelling experience. This article will explore the significance of incorporating dialogue into narrative essays and shed light on its purpose.

Firstly, dialogue breathes life into the characters, making them more relatable and engaging for the readers. Through conversations and interactions, the characters’ personalities, emotions, and motivations are revealed, allowing the audience to connect with them on a deeper level. Dialogue creates a sense of realism, enabling the readers to visualize the characters’ actions, gestures, and expressions, thereby enriching the narrative.

Moreover, dialogue serves as a tool for exposition and advancing the plot. It can provide background information, introduce conflicts, or foreshadow future events. By integrating dialogue strategically, authors can effectively convey information without lengthy paragraphs or excessive narration, keeping the readers captivated and maintaining the flow of the story.

Furthermore, dialogue aids in building tension and creating dramatic moments in narrative essays. It allows for the expression of differing opinions, conflicting emotions, or heated arguments between characters, adding intensity and excitement to the storyline. This helps to sustain the reader’s interest and keeps them engaged throughout the narrative.

In conclusion, dialogue serves a crucial purpose in narrative essays. It breathes life into characters, advances the plot, and creates tension and drama. By incorporating dialogue effectively, writers can enhance the overall quality of their narrative essays, making them more compelling and enjoyable for readers.

Enhancing Character Development

Dialogue is a powerful tool for enhancing character development in narrative essays. By using dialogue, writers can delve deeper into the personalities of their characters and provide readers with a deeper understanding of who they are. Here are several ways dialogue helps in enhancing character development:

• Revealing traits and motivations: Through conversations, characters can express their thoughts, desires, fears, and aspirations, allowing readers to gain insight into their motivations and values. Dialogue provides a platform for characters to reveal their true selves and showcase their unique traits.
• Showing relationships and dynamics: Dialogue allows writers to portray the dynamics between characters. It showcases how they interact, whether they are friends, enemies, or lovers. Conversations provide opportunities to display conflicts, tension, or camaraderie, giving readers a glimpse into the complexity of relationships.
• Demonstrating growth and change: Dialogue helps to showcase character development over the course of the narrative. By observing how characters communicate and express themselves, readers can witness their growth, changing attitudes, and evolving perspectives.
• Adding authenticity: Dialogue adds authenticity to characters, making them more believable and relatable. Through their conversations, characters can speak with unique voices, dialects, or mannerisms, making them feel like real individuals with distinct personalities.

In conclusion, dialogue is a powerful tool for enhancing character development in narrative essays. By using conversations, writers can reveal traits and motivations, show relationships and dynamics, demonstrate growth and change, and add authenticity to their characters. Skillful use of dialogue allows readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level, enriching their reading experience.

Advancing the Plot

Dialogue is an effective way to advance the plot in narrative essays. Conversations between characters can serve as a powerful narrative device, driving the story forward and keeping readers engaged. Here are several ways dialogue helps to advance the plot:

• Introducing conflict: Dialogue can introduce conflicts between characters, creating tension and propelling the plot forward. Through their conversations, characters can express differing opinions or goals, leading to an exciting clash of ideas.
• Conveying information: Dialogue can be used to deliver important information to readers, without resorting to lengthy exposition or description. By providing details through conversations, writers can keep the narrative moving while informing the reader.
• Foreshadowing events: Dialogue can foreshadow future events, building anticipation for what’s to come. Characters can make cryptic comments or hint at what’s to come, leaving readers eager for more information.
• Establishing mood: Dialogue can set the tone for a scene and create a specific mood or atmosphere. The words chosen, the tone of the conversation, and the way the characters interact can all contribute to the overall feeling of the story.

In conclusion, dialogue is a valuable tool for advancing the plot in narrative essays. It can introduce conflict, convey information, foreshadow events, and establish mood. Skillful use of dialogue can keep readers engaged and propel the narrative forward, allowing the story to unfold in an exciting and captivating way.

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Creating Realism and Authenticity

Dialogue plays a crucial role in creating realism and authenticity in narrative essays. By incorporating natural and believable conversations between characters, writers can bring their stories to life and make them more relatable to readers. Here are several reasons why dialogue is essential for creating realism and authenticity:

• Mimicking real-life speech: Dialogue aims to replicate the way people actually talk. By using realistic dialogue, writers can capture the intricacies of everyday language, including slang, colloquialisms, pauses, and interruptions. This authenticity helps readers immerse themselves in the story.
• Reflecting different voices: Different characters have unique voices and ways of speaking. Through dialogue, writers can showcase these distinct voices, including variations in speech patterns, vocabulary choices, or accents. Dialogue allows readers to connect with characters on a deeper level by hearing their individual voices.
• Portraying emotions: Dialogue allows characters to express their emotions in a more direct and immediate way. Readers can experience the characters’ joy, sadness, anger, or frustration through their spoken words and the accompanying subtext. This emotional depth adds a layer of realism to the narrative.
• Providing context and details: Dialogue can provide important context and details about the setting, time period, or cultural references. By incorporating relevant conversations, writers can enrich the story with authentic cultural or historical elements, making the narrative more vibrant and realistic.

In conclusion, dialogue is a crucial element in creating realism and authenticity in narrative essays. It mimics real-life speech, reflects different voices, portrays emotions, and provides contextual details. By employing natural and believable dialogue, writers can transport readers into their stories and make the characters and settings feel genuine and relatable.

Conveying Emotions and Thoughts

One of the main purposes of dialogue in a narrative essay is to convey the emotions and thoughts of the characters. Through conversations, writers can delve into the inner workings of their characters’ minds, providing readers with a deeper understanding of their motivations, fears, and desires. Here are several reasons why dialogue is effective in conveying emotions and thoughts:

• Expressing feelings directly: Dialogue allows characters to express their emotions and thoughts in a direct and immediate manner. By giving characters a voice, writers can convey joy, sadness, anger, confusion, and a range of other emotions more effectively.
• Providing insight into internal struggles: Dialogue can reveal the characters’ internal conflicts and struggles. By letting them voice their thoughts and engage in introspective conversations, writers can explore the complexities of their characters’ minds, allowing readers to empathize and connect with them.
• Offering subtext: Dialogue often includes subtext, which adds depth and layers to the characters’ words. Through subtle hints, unsaid desires, or hidden meanings, dialogue can convey emotions and thoughts beyond what is explicitly stated, adding complexity to the narrative.
• Enhancing character development: By using dialogue to convey emotions and thoughts, writers can develop their characters more fully. Readers gain a deeper understanding of the characters’ personalities, motivations, and growth throughout the narrative, fostering a stronger emotional connection.

In conclusion, dialogue serves the purpose of conveying emotions and thoughts in a narrative essay. It allows for an authentic and direct expression of feelings, offers insight into internal struggles, provides subtext, and enhances character development. By skillfully utilizing dialogue, writers can bring their characters to life and create a more immersive and emotionally engaging reading experience.

Using Dialogue as a Literary Device

Dialogue serves a dual purpose in narrative essays – not only does it drive the plot and convey information, but it also functions as a literary device, adding depth and complexity to the storytelling. Here are several ways in which dialogue can be used as a literary device in narrative essays:

• Revealing character traits: Through dialogue, writers can reveal the unique qualities of their characters. By carefully crafting their words and interactions, writers can show aspects such as personalities, values, and beliefs, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the characters.
• Creating tension and conflict: Dialogue can be used to create tension and conflict between characters, heightening the dramatic effect of the narrative. By employing sharp exchanges, disagreements, or verbal sparring, writers can generate a sense of anticipation and suspense, keeping readers engaged.
• Establishing voice and style: Dialogue allows writers to establish their own voice and style. Each character can have a distinctive way of speaking, reflecting their personality or social background. This adds authenticity to the story and helps readers differentiate between characters.
• Enhancing symbolism and subtext: Dialogue can be imbued with symbolism and subtext, adding layers of meaning to the narrative. Characters may engage in metaphorical or poetic conversations that convey deeper messages or explore themes in a nuanced manner.

In conclusion, dialogue serves as a multifaceted literary device in narrative essays. It reveals character traits, creates tension and conflict, establishes voice and style, and enhances symbolism and subtext. By utilizing dialogue in these ways, writers can elevate their storytelling, making the narrative more compelling, thought-provoking, and memorable for readers.

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Who’s Talking: Dialogue and Point of View in Personal Essay

Lesson 3 of 8: finding your essay’s heartbeat.

Welcome back, writers! This workshop with Andrea. A Firth will run for 8 lessons, and arrive straight to your inbox. See what goodies lay ahead here and support us by becoming a subscriber here:

Today, we’re going to look at dialogue and point of view—who’s talking and how. Personal essays are often told from the point of view (POV) of a first-person narrator using the pronouns I, me, my, and mine. This is my story based on experiences from my life—so that choice for POV makes sense. But I/me isn’t the only point of view used in personal essay. We’ll explore other POVs and how to present dialogue, too. Let’s dive in.

Here are some thoughts about dialogue before we get into the readings. These questions always come up.

Memory and Dialogue . We don’t walk around recording our daily conversations, so dialogue is recreated. Even though personal essays are true stories, we won’t remember past conversations word for word, no one does. We do our best to represent what was said accurately. We won’t include every line and word from a conversation in our essays—it’s not a trial transcript. We’ll select the dialogue that best moves the narrative and shows the readers who is talking and how. 

Presentation. Dialogue can be external, like two people having a conversation, or internal, like an individual thinking in their head. Dialogue can be presented several ways, in quotations, in italics, or with no quotation or italics, and we’ve already seen these different styles in the essays we’ve read so far:

“Really?” he asks, eyeing the tubs. ( “Taste Test!” by Eric Lemay )

I’m sorry, I said… ( “Swerve” by Brenda Miller )

Oh yes, that’s strep , says the doctor on the screen. The color of that mouth, a dead giveaway. ( “Strawberry Tongue” by Danielle Harms )

Try me, he said. ( “Generation Gap” by Sarah Moss )

I thought, That sloth is as slow as grief. (Internal Dialogue: “The Sloth” by Jill Christman )

The key is to present dialogue in a consistent way throughout the essay so that your reader understands when someone is talking and who’s talking. Keep dialogue attribution, what comes at the end (or sometimes in middle or beginning), straight forward: he asks, I said, I thought . You can use more active verbs to attribute dialogue, such as he screamed or I shrieked , but do this sparingly. Let the dialogue and action show the emotion, how the words are spoken. And forget the adverbs: he screamed loudly , I shrieked hysterically. These adverbs are redundant. A good editor will strike these out. Again have the dialogue and action do the showing. 

Note: With every guideline for creative writing that you are told (by me or anyone else)—there will always be exceptions.

Here’s an example. When writing dialogue and the speaker changes, typically we’ve been told to hit return and start a new line. But in our first Readings, Brenda Miller doesn’t do this, neither does Kate Moss. Huh? But the writers Eric Lemay and Danielle Harms do separate speakers’ dialogue by white space. Phew! As you can see, there is no one set way to present dialogue—the key is to stay consistent and clear, so you don’t lose your reader.

And what’s white space?

The space on a page without words. The empty lines created by hitting return on the keyboard that create white space between lines and paragraphs. White space signals the reader to pause and/or to get ready for a change in speaker or content or approach, like POV.

What if the narrator speaks a language other than English or uses non-English words and phrases?

If the narrator occasionally uses non-English words or phrases in dialogue (or elsewhere in the prose) often the context will be sufficient for the reader to follow. Rely on the reader to “Google it” as needed. Footnotes or a glossary are not necessary in personal essays. If a narrator or other character always speaks in a language other than English, you can include a couple lines, or snippets of dialogue, in that language to show this. 

What do I do about accents and dialects in dialogue?

Including words and phrases that demonstrate an accent or dialect can show how the speaker sounds and add to the voice of the essay. But you don’t want the speech or verbal mannerism to distract the reader, a few examples may be all you need to show this. The same goes for slang and colloquialisms. Be careful not to stereotype—use a balanced, minimalistic approach.

“Whiting” by Deesha Philyaw

“The Game for Winners” by Kimberly Elkins

“Badge” by Wendy Fontaine

In “Whiting,” Deesha Philyaw uses yet another way to present dialogue. She starts with the attribution in italics and follows with the dialogue, not in italics but in quotations.

My father said , “I already buttered the grits and the biscuits for you. You know how to pick the bones out the whiting, don’t you?” 

She groups his dialogue together in three spots, My father said, My father said, My father said. And maybe she got “creative” with his first long paragraph of dialogue. Maybe that wasn’t said all at one time. What do you think? Does it matter? Does the dialogue still feel authentic and ring true?

Philyaw doesn’t show her responses to her father’s dialogue, or if she did respond. Why do you think Philyaw chose to show only her father’s spoken words? Could that be a way to show the imbalance in their father-daughter relationship? Could that say something about the value of his spoken words in the past and the focus she gives his words now? What do you think?

Please share what you think about Deesha Philyaw’s use of dialogue in the Comments.

Leave a comment

One of the great things about personal essay is that there are many ways to write one. As craft goes, there’s nothing off limits. (Your only constraint is telling a true story.) Point of View is another technique you can manipulate to tell your story in a different but authentic way.

First-person, the I POV . In ‘Whiting” the story is told from the daughter’s point of view using a first-person narrator and the pronoun I—and it works. Now let’s see how switching from that traditional POV can impact how a personal essay is told. 

First-person plural, the we POV. Kimberley Elkins’ essay, “The Game for Winners,” starts with the pronouns “we” and “us”—first-person plural, a group of kids from school, acting in unison.

We called it fainting. Gathered in a knot at recess or after lunch in an empty corridor or a corner of the gym, wherever the teachers, who’d been told to stop the game, couldn’t find us. 

Second-person, the you POV. But by the third sentence in “The Game of Winners,” the essay moves to the second-person POV and uses the pronoun “you,” a singular you, and stays in that POV through the end. 

The game went like this: you knelt and breathed deeply, one, two, three, and then jumped up as hard and as fast as you could, a boy’s arms wrapped around you from behind in a bear hug, squeezing the air from your diaphragm. 

Why does the narrator tell her story using the pronoun “you?” What effect does that have as you read the essay? 

Second-person narration implicates the reader bringing them directly into the story, the reader and narrator become one. Using second person to tell the story creates an interactive, connected, intimate experience for the reader. It can make the reader feel a range of emotions from discomfort and fear to understanding and empathy and more. How did it make you feel?

One person, Two Points of View—The Then and Now Narrators

Let’s look at the essay , “Badge,” by Wendy Fontaine.  The essay opens, in scene, with the narrator (in first person, using I) preparing to sell Girl Scout cookies. How old is she? 9? At most 11? Let’s say she’s 10. How do we know her age? From the details! 1. She’s a Girl Scout. 2. She needs her mom’s permission to go to the neighbor’s home. And 3. She is unaware of the slang use of the word pussy. 

Over the next five paragraphs the young narrator describes walking through the trailer park, her fear of spiders, and her neighbor’s trailer.

In paragraph six there’s a shift. The narrator says: I don’t know a lot things. And she lists the things she doesn't know at age 10, including the facts that the neighbor is probably stoned and that her father is an alcoholic and depressed. 

These are things I’ll learn in time, and there will be no badges for any of it.  

Here, the narrator who is speaking is older, more experienced, matured. We’ll call her the now narrator, who in the present moment looks back at herself at age 10, who we’ll call the then narrator. In both situations, now and then , the pronoun I is used—but the narrator is speaking in two different points of time, in two different states of mind—recalling scenes from her 10 -year-old perspective and reflecting as an adult.

Why is this relevant? Because when you write a personal essay you will often be looking at a situation from two perspectives— then and now . Your outlook on the event or situation that you remember, whether it was many years ago or not so long ago, will have changed with time. Your aim in writing personal essay is to uncover the new truth that is revealed in the exploration—that recognition, realization, or epiphany. You as the narrator, the essayist, change from then to now and learn something from the experience.

Can you switch the point of view within an essay? Yes —but have a reason and do it carefully. 

If you switch the POV, that change should serve the essay. We saw how Elkins’ switched from “we” to “you” early on in “The Game for Winners.” She started the essay explaining how we , a group of kids, played a furtive game of fainting. But overall this essay is about the narrator, an individual, how she felt when playing this game and how it manifested in her later in life, so Elkins’ moved to a singular POV with you. You want to use the writing craft to support the essay’s throughline. what’s it’s about and what it means.

Switching the narrator’s POV can easily confuse the reader. In a short essay, you can probably change POV once without losing the reader, but not more (there are always exceptions). Inserting white space, i.e., starting a new paragraph, when changing POV, can help the reader to follow and stay on track.

Here I point out some points of craft for each essay, but there’s lots more. Use The Language of Creative Nonfiction Writing Craft resource to help you identify other writing craft. Share what you find in the Comments.

View Resource Worksheet here

Uses similes (a comparison using like or as): 

… a fraction of what it cost me to gather up the pieces of a girl, shattered like broken seashells gathered from the sands of the ocean floor . This is your inheritance. Spread it like a balm on your broken heart: …

Uses repetition, which adds rhythm and emphasis.

Every bone in the whiting is an apology. Every grain of the grits, an apology. The cat’s head biscuit, a mound of apologies. Everything my father does not say. 

Uses sensory description and simile

—A tingle in your stomach, a hard trail of thrill burring up to your chest like the compression of body in the seconds an airplane’s wheels leave the ground. 

Marks time and creates new language

—Years later, you found the same whoosh of unbecoming with the drinking…

Uses specific details and simile:

spiders black and yellow, as big as Easter eggs.

Uses alliteration and simile:

…webs, white and wispy, like a dead man’s hair.

✍️Take an essay that you have written in the past or take one of the Readings we’ve covered and read it aloud changing the point of view. Change the I’s to you or we . Or change you to I . What effect does the change have? Do you find one POV works better than another? Why?

✍️ Let’s start to dig into what these essays are about on a deeper level. Here’s a question for each.

In “ Whiting,” Twice in the essay, Philyaw tells us what she doesn’t know. Why? What’s significant about that?

In the Game for Winners,” Elkins’ describes finding “euphoria” in the fainting game. What does she mean?

In “Badge,” Fontaine includes three paragraphs about spiders? What/how do the spiders add to the narrative?

Put your answers in the Comments. Let’s have a chat about this!

And Ask me anything. I’ll do my best to respond to each and every one.

Andrea A. Firth

Next up is  Lesson 4: Beginning, Endings and Titles . That lesson will arrive in your inbox on Wednesday, April 10. You can find the  introduction post here if you’re new to this course .

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Dialogue Definition

What is dialogue? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Dialogue is the exchange of spoken words between two or more characters in a book, play, or other written work. In prose writing, lines of dialogue are typically identified by the use of quotation marks and a dialogue tag, such as "she said." In plays, lines of dialogue are preceded by the name of the person speaking. Here's a bit of dialogue from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland : "Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: 'we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be,' said the Cat, 'or you wouldn't have come here."

Some additional key details about dialogue:

• Dialogue is defined in contrast to monologue , when only one person is speaking.
• Dialogue is often critical for moving the plot of a story forward, and can be a great way of conveying key information about characters and the plot.
• Dialogue is also a specific and ancient genre of writing, which often takes the form of a philosophical investigation carried out by two people in conversation, as in the works of Plato. This entry, however, deals with dialogue as a narrative element, not as a genre.

How to Pronounce Dialogue

Here's how to pronounce dialogue: dye -uh-log

Dialogue in Depth

Dialogue is used in all forms of writing, from novels to news articles to plays—and even in some poetry. It's a useful tool for exposition (i.e., conveying the key details and background information of a story) as well as characterization (i.e., fleshing out characters to make them seem lifelike and unique).

Dialogue as an Expository Tool

Dialogue is often a crucial expository tool for writers—which is just another way of saying that dialogue can help convey important information to the reader about the characters or the plot without requiring the narrator to state the information directly. For instance:

• In a book with a first person narrator, the narrator might identify themselves outright (as in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go , which begins "My name is Kathy H. I am thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years.").
• Tom Buchanan, who had been hovering restlessly about the room, stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder. "What you doing, Nick?”

The above example is just one scenario in which important information might be conveyed indirectly through dialogue, allowing writers to show rather than tell their readers the most important details of the plot.

Expository Dialogue in Plays and Films

Dialogue is an especially important tool for playwrights and screenwriters, because most plays and films rely primarily on a combination of visual storytelling and dialogue to introduce the world of the story and its characters. In plays especially, the most basic information (like time of day) often needs to be conveyed through dialogue, as in the following exchange from Romeo and Juliet :

BENVOLIO Good-morrow, cousin. ROMEO Is the day so young? BENVOLIO But new struck nine. ROMEO Ay me! sad hours seem long.

Here you can see that what in prose writing might have been conveyed with a simple introductory clause like "Early the next morning..." instead has to be conveyed through dialogue.

Dialogue as a Tool for Characterization

In all forms of writing, dialogue can help writers flesh out their characters to make them more lifelike, and give readers a stronger sense of who each character is and where they come from. This can be achieved using a combination of:

• Colloquialisms and slang: Colloquialism is the use of informal words or phrases in writing or speech. This can be used in dialogue to establish that a character is from a particular time, place, or class background. Similarly, slang can be used to associate a character with a particular social group or age group.
• The form the dialogue takes: for instance, multiple books have now been written in the form of text messages between characters—a form which immediately gives readers some hint as to the demographic of the characters in the "dialogue."
• The subject matter: This is the obvious one. What characters talk about can tell readers more about them than how the characters speak. What characters talk about reveals their fears and desires, their virtues and vices, their strengths and their flaws.

For example, in Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's narrator uses dialogue to introduce Mrs. and Mr. Bennet, their relationship, and their differing attitudes towards arranging marriages for their daughters:

"A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!” “How so? How can it affect them?” “My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.” “Is that his design in settling here?” “Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”

This conversation is an example of the use of dialogue as a tool of characterization , showing readers—without explaining it directly—that Mrs. Bennet is preoccupied with arranging marriages for her daughters, and that Mr. Bennet has a deadpan sense of humor and enjoys teasing his wife.

Recognizing Dialogue in Different Types of Writing

It's important to note that how a writer uses dialogue changes depending on the form in which they're writing, so it's useful to have a basic understanding of the form dialogue takes in prose writing (i.e., fiction and nonfiction) versus the form it takes in plays and screenplays—as well as the different functions it can serve in each. We'll cover that in greater depth in the sections that follow.

Dialogue in Prose

In prose writing, which includes fiction and nonfiction, there are certain grammatical and stylistic conventions governing the use of dialogue within a text. We won't cover all of them in detail here (we'll skip over the placement of commas and such), but here are some of the basic rules for organizing dialogue in prose:

• Punctuation : Generally speaking, lines of dialogue are encased in double quotation marks "such as this," but they may also be encased in single quotation marks, 'such as this.' However, single quotation marks are generally reserved for quotations within a quotation, e.g., "Even when I dared him he said 'No way,' so I dropped the subject."
• "Where did you go?" she asked .
• I said , "Leave me alone."
• "Answer my question," said Monica , "or I'm leaving."
• Line breaks : Lines of dialogue spoken by different speakers are generally separated by line breaks. This is helpful for determining who is speaking when dialogue tags have been omitted.

Of course, some writers ignore these conventions entirely, choosing instead to italicize lines of dialogue, for example, or not to use quotation marks, leaving lines of dialogue undifferentiated from other text except for the occasional use of a dialogue tag. Writers that use nonstandard ways of conveying dialogue, however, usually do so in a consistent way, so it's not hard to figure out when someone is speaking, even if it doesn't look like normal dialogue.

Indirect vs. Direct Dialogue

In prose, there are two main ways for writers to convey the content of a conversation between two characters: directly, and indirectly. Here's an overview of the difference between direct and indirect dialogue:

• This type of dialogue can often help lend credibility or verisimilitude to dialogue in a story narrated in the first-person, since it's unlikely that a real person would remember every line of dialogue that they had overheard or spoken.
• Direct Dialogue: This is what most people are referring to when they talk about dialogue. In contrast to indirect dialogue, direct dialogue is when two people are speaking and their words are in quotations.

Of these two types of dialogue, direct dialogue is the only one that counts as dialogue strictly speaking. Indirect dialogue, by contrast, is technically considered to be part of a story's narration.

A Note on Dialogue Tags and "Said Bookisms"

It is pretty common for writers to use verbs other than "said" and "asked"  to attribute a line of dialogue to a speaker in a text. For instance, it's perfectly acceptable for someone to write:

• Robert was beginning to get worried. "Hurry!" he shouted.
• "I am hurrying," Nick replied.

However, depending on how it's done, substituting different verbs for "said" can be quite distracting, since it shifts the reader's attention away from the dialogue and onto the dialogue tag itself. Here's an example where the use of  non-standard dialogue tags begins to feel a bit clumsy:

• Helen was thrilled. "Nice to meet you," she beamed .
• "Nice to meet you, too," Wendy chimed .

Dialogue tags that use verbs other than the standard set (which is generally thought to include "said," "asked," "replied," and "shouted") are known as "said bookisms," and are generally ill-advised. But these "bookisms" can be easily avoided by using adverbs or simple descriptions in conjunction with one of the more standard dialogue tags, as in:

• Helen was thrilled. "Nice to meet you," she said, beaming.
• "Nice to meet you, too," Wendy replied brightly.

In the earlier version, the irregular verbs (or "said bookisms") draw attention to themselves, distracting the reader from the dialogue. By comparison, this second version reads much more smoothly.

Dialogue in Plays

Dialogue in plays (and screenplays) is easy to identify because, aside from the stage directions, dialogue is the only thing a play is made of. Here's a quick rundown of the basic rules governing dialogue in plays:

• Names: Every line of dialogue is preceded by the name of the person speaking.
• Mama (outraged)  : What kind of way is that to talk about your brother?
• Line breaks: Each time someone new begins speaking, just as in prose, the new line of dialogue is separated from the previous one by a line break.

Rolling all that together, here's an example of what dialogue looks like in plays, from Edward Albee's Zoo Story:

JERRY: And what is that cross street there; that one, to the right? PETER: That? Oh, that's Seventy-fourth Street. JERRY: And the zoo is around Sixty-5th Street; so, I've been walking north. PETER: [anxious to get back to his reading] Yes; it would seem so. JERRY: Good old north. PETER: [lightly, by reflex] Ha, ha.

Dialogue Examples

The following examples are taken from all types of literature, from ancient philosophical texts to contemporary novels, showing that dialogue has always been an integral feature of many different types of writing.

Dialogue in Shakespeare's Othello

In this scene from Othello , the dialogue serves an expository purpose, as the messenger enters to deliver news about the unfolding military campaign by the Ottomites against the city of Rhodes.

First Officer Here is more news. Enter a Messenger Messenger The Ottomites, reverend and gracious, Steering with due course towards the isle of Rhodes, Have there injointed them with an after fleet. First Senator Ay, so I thought. How many, as you guess? Messenger Of thirty sail: and now they do restem Their backward course, bearing with frank appearance Their purposes toward Cyprus. Signior Montano, Your trusty and most valiant servitor, With his free duty recommends you thus, And prays you to believe him.

Dialogue in Madeleine L'Engel's A Wrinkle in Time

From the classic children's book  A Wrinkle in Time , here's a good example of dialogue that uses a description of a character's tone of voice instead of using unconventional verbiage to tag the line of dialogue. In other words, L'Engel doesn't follow Calvin's line of dialogue with a distracting tag like "Calvin barked." Rather, she simply states that his voice was unnaturally loud.

"I'm different, and I like being different." Calvin's voice was unnaturally loud. "Maybe I don't like being different," Meg said, "but I don't want to be like everybody else, either."

It's also worth noting that this dialogue helps characterize Calvin as a misfit who embraces his difference from others, and Meg as someone who is concerned with fitting in.

Dialogue in A Visit From the Good Squad

This passage from Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Good Squad doesn't use dialogue tags at all. In this exchange between Alex and the unnamed woman, it's always clear who's speaking even though most of the lines of dialogue are not explicitly attributed to a speaker using tags like "he said."

Alex turns to the woman. “Where did this happen?” “In the ladies’ room. I think.” “Who else was there?” “No one.” “It was empty?” “There might have been someone, but I didn’t see her.” Alex swung around to Sasha. “You were just in the bathroom,” he said. “Did you see anyone?”

Elsewhere in the book, Egan peppers her dialogue with colloquialisms and slang to help with characterization . Here, the washed-up, alcoholic rock star Bosco says:

"I want interviews, features, you name it," Bosco went on. "Fill up my life with that shit. Let's document every fucking humiliation. This is reality, right? You don't look good anymore twenty years later, especially when you've had half your guts removed. Time's a goon, right? Isn't that the expression?"

In this passage, Bosco's speech is littered with colloquialisms, including profanity and his use of the word "guts" to describe his liver, establishing him as a character with a unique way of speaking.

Dialogue in Plato's Meno

The following passage is excerpted from a dialogue by Plato titled Meno.  This text is one of the more well-known Socratic dialogues. The two characters speaking are Socrates (abbreviated, "Soc.") and Meno (abbreviated, "Men."). They're exploring the subject of virtue together.

Soc. Now, if there be any sort-of good which is distinct from knowledge, virtue may be that good; but if knowledge embraces all good, then we shall be right in think in that virtue is knowledge? Men. True. Soc. And virtue makes us good? Men. Yes. Soc. And if we are good, then we are profitable; for all good things are profitable? Men. Yes. Soc. Then virtue is profitable? Men. That is the only inference.

Indirect Dialogue in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried

This passage from O'Brien's The Things They Carried exemplifies the use of indirect dialogue to summarize a conversation. Here, the third-person narrator tells how Kiowa recounts the death of a soldier named Ted Lavender. Notice how the summary of the dialogue is interwoven with the rest of the narrative.

They marched until dusk, then dug their holes, and that night Kiowa kept explaining how you had to be there, how fast it was, how the poor guy just dropped like so much concrete. Boom-down, he said. Like cement.

O'Brien takes liberties in his use of quotation marks and dialogue tags, making it difficult at times to distinguish between the voices of different speakers and the voice of the narrator. In the following passage, for instance, it's unclear who is the speaker of the final sentence:

The cheekbone was gone. Oh shit, Rat Kiley said, the guy's dead. The guy's dead, he kept saying, which seemed profound—the guy's dead. I mean really.

Why Do Writers Use Dialogue in Literature?

Most writers use dialogue simply because there is more than one character in their story, and dialogue is a major part of how the plot progresses and characters interact. But in addition to the fact that dialogue is virtually a necessary component of fiction, theater, and film, writers use dialogue in their work because:

• It aids in characterization , helping to flesh out the various characters and make them feel lifelike and individual.
• It is a useful tool of exposition , since it can help convey key information abut the world of the story and its characters.
• It moves the plot along. Whether it takes the form of an argument, an admission of love, or the delivery of an important piece of news, the information conveyed through dialogue is often essential not only to readers' understanding of what's going on, but to generating the action that furthers the story's plot line.

Other Helpful Dialogue Resources

• The Wikipedia Page on Dialogue: A bare-bones explanation of dialogue in writing, with one or two examples.
• The Dictionary Definition of Dialogue: A basic definition, with a bit on the etymology of the word (it comes from the Greek meaning "through discourse."
• Cinefix's video with their take on the 14 best dialogues of all time : A smart overview of what dialogue can accomplish in film.

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Are you looking for ideas to teach students how to write dialogue in a narrative essay? This blog has creative ideas to show your students the right amount of dialogue to use in a story and activities to motivate and educate! These ideas are ideal for any writing curriculum and are a part of a series of mini lessons for writer’s workshop designed for scaffolding through the writing process.

Use the following ideas to teach adding dialogue to a narrative story.

Start off with a song.  I love love love playing the song, You Talk Too Much .  You can find it here- My students giggle every time I play it and they look around the room wondering what it has to do with writing!  He He:

How should dialogue be used? Dialogue should be chosen carefully.  Readers don’t need to know everything the characters are saying.  Too much dialogue can be very confusing.

A.  Never say the obvious.

Ex.  Joi said, “I was at the park too.  There were slides, swings, and monkey bars.”

B.  Skip the meet and greet.

Ex.  “Hi James, ” he said  James replied, “Hello there!”

C.  When characters speak, something should be happening and the plot should be progressing.  Conflict between characters is a great place to add dialogue, but balance it with action!

Ex.  Tim screamed, “You stole the purple pens!”  As he marched over to Lucy, she folded her arms.

D.  Use dialogue to reveal a character’s personality.

Ex.  Lisa criticized, “Did you see that girl’s ugly dress?  I would never wear that.”

*** I like this idea from Janet Fitch:  Find a section in the story where the characters have a whole conversation, and then cross out the dialogue that is commonplace.  Because, as Fitch says, “A line anybody could say is a line nobody should say.”  BRILLIANT!!!!!

2. MENTOR TEXT

Mentor Texts show the appropriate amount of dialogue.  I am sure you have one of these sitting on your library shelf!  They all show great examples of using dialogue in a narrative story!  Read the story to your students and point out how the author uses dialogue.

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood

Take your class story and find places to add meaningful dialogue.  Talk it out with your class.  Why would this be a good place to a add dialogue?  How can we make it meaningful?

4. TAKING NOTES

Taking notes on how to write dialogue will help students remember the lesson as well as give them a resource to refer back to when writing.  This interactive writing notebook page uses speech bubbles to give example of dialogue and flip open to take notes.  You may also use MINI WRITING ANCHOR CHARTS to paste in notebooks if you don’t have time for interactive writing notebooks.

5. PRACTICE

Give students a few story prompts and have them work in groups or partners to develop meaningful dialogue between characters.  Share with the rest of the group or class.  If you are in need of prompts, click PROMPTS for a variety of resources.

Students should apply their knowledge on writing dialogue by adding meaningful dialogue to their story.

Share dialogue ideas with partners, groups, or whole group.  This will help reluctant writers to think of ideas for their own story and confident writers to think back on their own writing for improvement.

I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS USEFUL AND YOUR STUDENTS ARE USING DIALOGUE IN A WAY THAT WON’T MAKE YOU PULL YOUR HAIR OUT!

Check out my FREE writing masterclass! CLICK HERE

LAST LESSON:   WRITING MINI LESSON #19- DEVELOPING CHARACTER TRAITS

NEXT LESSON: WRITING MINI LESSON #21- WRITING THE CONCLUSION OF A NARRATIVE ESSAY!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF WRITING MINI LESSONS

This lesson is also included in the STEP-BY-STEP WRITING ® Programwith mini-lessons designed to scaffold through the writing process. Writing units included are sentence structure, paragraph writing, narrative writing, opinion writing, and informative writing. See what is included in the image below and click on it to learn more about them! You will turn your reluctant writers into ROCKSTAR WRITERS ™! 

“You are an angel! Not only is this a spectacular resource but my students are constantly engaged. I’ve never used an interactive notebook type resource before and I am sold! The children are learning without realising it and I have never had such success with narrative writing across so many students. I am pleasantly amazed. Looking forward to moving onto the other text types as the year progresses (calendar year in Australia). Thank you so much!” -Mrs. N.

Writing Mini Lesson #18- Building Suspense and Climax in a Narrative Essay

Writing mini lesson #21- writing the conclusion of a narrative essay.

How The Woman Shaping Cannabis's Global Dialogue Turned A Personal Mission Into Professional Success

Cynthia Salarizadeh stands at the forefront of the cannabis industry as a businesswoman and a catalyst for change. Her journey, marked by personal tragedy and professional triumphs, offers a glimpse into the heart of an industry on the brink of global acceptance. Through her leadership at Asha Media Group and ventures like House of Saka and El Planteo , Salarizadeh is redefining the narrative around cannabis.

Salarizadeh’s entrance into the cannabis industry was not born out of curiosity or career ambition. Still, it was a poignant response to a personal family tragedy. The devastating impact of opiates, which claimed a life within her close circle, became the turning point in her professional journey.

“I was pulled into the industry after a tragic death in my immediate family from opiates,” Salarizadeh told Benzinga. This moment of a personal crisis sparked a determination in Salarizadeh to prevent other families from enduring similar agony, setting her on a path that would eventually position her as a leading figure in the cannabis world.

Trending: Trump's Niece Says Ex-President May Have Committed One Of His 'Biggest Mistakes' As Letitia James 'Closer

Must Read: Fantom Co-Founder Proposes Safer Meme Coin Issuance to Protect Investors

Bridging Cannabis And Comms With AI

Salarizadeh’s innovative approach to integrating AI into cannabis communications has set a new benchmark. “AI and communications are a natural fit,” she explained, emphasizing the potential for AI to enhance and streamline the connection between cannabis brands and their audiences. Her creation of tools like newsswriter.ai and newsworthy.ai underlines a future where technology and cannabis converge for more effective engagement.

Changing Perceptions One Sip At A Time

Cynthia Salarizadeh entered the cannabis-infused beverage industry with House of Saka, recognizing an untapped opportunity for revolutionizing how consumers view and consume cannabis products.

She stated, “House of Saka is a beautiful luxury brand created to help break through the negative perceptions,” highlighting her mission to alter preconceived notions about cannabis drinks. Her commitment to crafting superior, low-dose options not only distinguished the brand but also played a crucial role in modifying public attitudes toward cannabis-infused beverages.

Salarizadeh’s venture into this market was driven by an acute awareness of consumer hesitancy, mainly due to past products that fell short in taste and consistency. By placing a premium on the quality of ingredients, taste profiles, and reliable dosing, House of Saka offered an elevated experience that set new standards within the market. 

A Voice For Cultural Shift

Through El Planteo, Salarizadeh extends her influence beyond the English-speaking world, aiming to encourage a wider cultural acceptance of cannabis.

“After founding Green Market Report with a colleague and growing that into one of the most trusted finance and business publications in the industry, I knew it was time to expand into new languages and markets. I asked a close friend and colleague if they would like to take the lead on this project. They agreed,” she remarked, highlighting her commitment to spreading awareness and fostering acceptance across diverse communities.

Salarizadeh continued, “Our goals are to bring global and local news on alternative topics to everyone in Latin America.”

A Global Cannabis Future

Looking ahead, Salarizadeh sees a world where cannabis and technology create a tapestry of global connectivity. “The future of cannabis is global,” she asserted, foreseeing a landscape where her AI and strategic communications efforts pave the way for a more inclusive and accessible cannabis industry worldwide.

Salarizadeh’s story is about personal resilience and entrepreneurial success. Still, it’s also about a visionary’s ability to foresee a future where cannabis is understood, accepted, and appreciated globally. Her work inspires and paves the way for the next generation of cannabis advocates and professionals.

The  Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference  is returning to Florida in a new venue in Hollywood on April 16 and 17, 2024. The two-day event at  The Diplomat Beach Resort  will be a chance for entrepreneurs, both large and small, to network, learn, and grow.  

Renowned for its trendsetting abilities and influence on the future of cannabis, mark your calendars — this conference is the go-to event of the year for the cannabis world.  Get your tickets now on  bzcannabis.com  – Prices will increase very soon!

Image: Cynthia Salarizadeh

© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

This article How The Woman Shaping Cannabis's Global Dialogue Turned A Personal Mission Into Professional Success originally appeared on Benzinga.com .

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5 Ways to Enable JavaScript

How to praise and worship god: 10 steps, how to tie kilt shoes: 7 steps, 3 ways to get a refund for late packages, sample persuasive letter to your professor, how to wear fishnets elegantly: 11 steps, 3 ways to increase estrogen levels for fertility, 3 simple ways to become a jungian analyst, how to appear less vulnerable: 10 steps, 3 simple ways to change a gas bottle, how to write a life story essay.

A life story essay, also known as a personal narrative or autobiographical essay, is an opportunity for you to share your unique experiences and perspectives with readers. This type of essay allows you to bring your story to life using engaging language and vivid descriptions. To help you write a compelling life story essay, follow these steps:

1. Brainstorm and choose a focus:

Before you start writing, take time to brainstorm about the significant events, moments, or themes that have influenced your life. Consider the lessons you’ve learned or interesting people you’ve encountered along the way. Narrow down your ideas and select a specific focus for your essay to ensure it’s engaging and easy for readers to follow.

2. Organize your thoughts:

Once you have a central theme in mind, it’s important to organize your ideas in a logical order. Use an outline or timeline to structure the events or memories in your story. This will help you maintain clarity and cohesiveness throughout your essay.

3. Begin with an engaging introduction:

Grab your readers’ attention from the start with an interesting opening that sets the stage for the rest of your story. Be sure to include any relevant background information or context necessary for readers to understand the events that will unfold in your narrative.

4. Use vivid language and sensory details:

To make your life story essay more engaging, take advantage of descriptive language and sensory details as you recount events in your narrative. Describe the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feelings associated with each moment so that readers can easily imagine themselves in your situation.

5. Incorporate dialogue:

If appropriate, use dialogue between characters in your story to create a more dynamic narrative. Be sure that your dialogue is accurate and realistic so that it adds depth to the characters involved.

6. Reflect on the experience:

Don’t forget to reflect upon the significance of the events presented in your life story essay. Express your perspective, emotions, and insights, and demonstrate how the experience shaped you or influenced your thoughts and actions.

7. Revise and edit:

After you complete your first draft, take a break and then come back to it with fresh eyes. Read through your essay carefully and revise any areas that lack clarity or need improvement in terms of structure, descriptions, or dialogue. Be sure to check for grammar and spelling errors as well.

8. Seek feedback:

Finally, seek feedback from friends, family members, or classmates to get their opinions on your life story essay. Use their input to further polish your work and ensure it is engaging and well-written.

By following these steps, you will craft a captivating life story essay that captures the essence of your experiences while engaging readers with vivid language and thoughtful reflections.

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She Lied, Cheated and Stole. Then She Wrote a Book About It.

In her buzzy memoir, “Sociopath,” Patric Gagne shows herself more committed to revel in her naughtiness than to demystify the condition.

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SOCIOPATH: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne

That Patric Gagne is a sociopath isn’t news. She wrote about it for The New York Times’s Modern Love column, which led to a deal for a book that I have just hurled across the room like a discus, and an extensive pre-publication interview with my colleague David Marchese.

Gagne seems also to be afflicted, or blessed, with hyperthymesia, a.k.a highly superior autobiographical memory : a rare condition publicized in an old “ 60 Minutes” segment featuring the actress Marilu Henner.

How else, unless Gagne was concealing a small tape recorder on her person since childhood (not out of the question, of course, for a sociopath) does she recall decades-old dialogue in such precise detail? And incidentally, how come so much of that is rat-a-tat banter suitable for a corny ’90s rom-com?

“I’d kill myself if everywhere I went, people knew who I was,” Gagne, who in young adulthood follows her father into the music business, tells a flirtatious rock guitarist to whom she’s confided her sociopathy.

“Instead of killing other people, you mean?” he replies.

The ostensible goal of “Sociopath,” as the memoir is titled in dramatic Sharpie letters on the cover, is to address exactly this sort of misconception, to destigmatize an oft-misunderstood personality type. Most of Gagne’s kind are not murderers. She argues that sociopathy is a spectrum disorder, like autism, affecting “millions,” though there’s no source for this number; citation in “Sociopath” is not footnotes but excited “flipping” through library books.

Other than stabbing a “neighborhood terror” in the head with a pencil when she was in second grade, flinging a glass pitcher at a wall and occasionally clawing herself in frustration to the point of bleeding, Gagne has tended to be more creepy than violent in her transgressive behavior. Relief from a certain temperamental blankness has come, she writes, by breaking into other people’s homes and joyriding in their dubiously borrowed cars.

“The silence of a structure that has just been broken into is unlike any other,” the author writes, adding with unnerving humanization, “It’s almost like the house can’t believe what just happened and has gasped, taking all the air with it.”

Gagne tells of stealing and stockpiling trivial objects, like a pair of Ringo Starr’s glasses when she was a toddler, and as an adult a Statue of Liberty key chain that she used to signal to her watchful then-boyfriend, David, when she’d done something “unorthodox.” (David, no saint, also joined her for sex in the empty houses.) Gagne mulled filching a life-size ceramic tiger from Hugh Hefner’s office during a party at the Playboy Mansion, but settled for a notepad.

Some people crash weddings for the free food and drinks; she sneaks into funerals, strangers’ grief washing over her like a spa cleanse. There’s an elaborate subplot about Gagne stalking a woman named Ginny who’s trying to extort her father, the revelation that causes the obviously enchanted guitarist to do a “spit take.” (Spit takes being about as common in real life as rimshots.)

Indeed a large swath of “Sociopath” is devoted to Gagne’s ability to succeed amid the “dark magic” of the music business, which, we’re reminded, tends to attract difficult personalities such as that guitarist (she dubs him Max Magus), for whom she may or may not be leaving dependable David.

You’ve heard the phrase “has no chill.” Gagne portrays herself as all c hill: a “blond, ferret-toting Wednesday Addams,” as she writes of an upbringing stressed by divorce and a move to Florida.

Her younger sister, Harlowe, nicknames her Captain Apathy, drawing a cartoon of a masked superhero. (Somebody dial Mattel!) Like Diana in “A Chorus Line,” Patric feels nothing — happiness and anger in brief spurts, maybe, but not empathy or remorse, a syndrome she likens to bad eyesight.

She does, however, curse an awful lot, sometimes in ALL CAPS. One woman is dismissed as a “basic bitch” and worse. Repetition and weather reports (“the breeze whistled its approval as I approached the sports car”) blight the narrative. And when Gagne, now a clinical psychologist and married mother of two, writes of her longing for incarceration (“a short stint in lockup sounded interesting”), one wishes someone had gently placed a few more studies on her library pile.

Sociopathy is no longer indexed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Gagne writes, replaced by antisocial personality disorder, several criteria of which don’t resonate with her. She guards her medical identity like a ceramic tiger, scornfully labeling a messy record-label executive named Jennifer a “fauxciopath.”(A term the author is attempting to trademark .)

I have little problem with “Sociopath” as a porthole into the unusual mind of one woman — albeit a smudged porthole; she admits to changing names, dates and details. It’s when Gagne swerves the wheel of that purloined auto into the scholarly realm, speeding through the psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley’s 1941 seminal work on psychopathy, “The Mask of Sanity,” and topics like cognitive behavioral therapy, that sweat begins to bead on my boringly neurotypical forehead.

Those Sharpie letters proclaim a Ph.D. in clinical psychology , but since her dissertation is not available online, nor referenced by other scholars, “Sociopath” is venturing out into the hot media lights uncomfortably alone. This is an important topic, treated too flightily: begging for peer review, not book review.

SOCIOPATH : A Memoir | By Patric Gagne | Simon & Schuster | 368 pp. | $28.99

Alexandra Jacobs is a Times book critic and occasional features writer. She joined The Times in 2010. More about Alexandra Jacobs

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