Mastering Dialogue In 3 Easy Steps: How to Make Your Characters Sound Real, Unique, and Crackle with Personality
- Bair Klos
- Mar 7
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 17
How to Stop Your Characters From Sounding Like Clones in a Corporate Meeting
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I love writing dialogue. It’s one of the few times I get to pull out my galaxy brain and let my characters say all the poetic, deep, and cutting things I wish I could say in real life. Writing dialogue lets me explore different worldviews, personalities, and emotional undercurrents—without the awkwardness of stumbling over my words in an actual conversation.
One of the best pieces of writing advice I’ve ever heard is this: know what your characters want to say, then filter it through layers and layers of their trauma, backstory, upbringing, and personality. But don’t let them actually say what they really mean—not unless it’s a climactic scene.
Dialogue isn’t just about what’s being said—it’s about who’s saying it, how they say it, and why it matters. Too many writers fall into the trap of making all their characters sound the same, stuffing conversations with filler, or writing scenes that read more like courtroom transcripts than real interactions. If your dialogue feels flat, robotic, or indistinguishable, it’s time to sharpen those voices.
And in this instance, dialogue is one of the few times where you can get away with telling instead of showing—especially if a character is speaking to catch another character up on important information. Done right, dialogue can move the story along without feeling like an exposition dump.
Because nothing shatters immersion faster than characters who all sound identical. Your warrior shouldn’t be speaking with the same careful precision as your absent-minded scholar, and your jaded mercenary probably isn’t out here waxing poetic about the sunrise (unless it’s a metaphor for existential dread, in which case—carry on).
So let’s talk about how to make your dialogue snap, sizzle, and actually sound like real people having real conversations that move your story along.
A Quick Recap: The Three Core Functions of Dialogue
Before we dive deep, let’s ground ourselves in the three main things dialogue should accomplish:
Reveal and define your characters. (How they speak tells us who they are.)
Set the mood or create suspense. (Dialogue can subtly influence tension and emotion.)
Move your story forward. (If dialogue isn’t serving the plot, it’s just noise.)
How a character speaks should reflect their personality, background, and emotions, offering insight in ways description cannot. Their dialogue should also shift with mood and tension—short and urgent in a fight, somber and distant in grief. Using dialogue alongside narration can heighten suspense and deepen internal conflict. Most importantly, dialogue should move the story forward—if it doesn’t reveal something new, change a dynamic, or create momentum, cut it. Keep it concise, meaningful, and true to character.
Now, let’s dig into the techniques that will make your dialogue sharper and more engaging.
Step 1: Give Each Character a Unique Lens
Characters shouldn’t just be reciting lines—they should be approaching the conversation from different angles based on their background, personality, and worldview.
Ask Yourself:
What is this character’s outlook on life? Are they an optimist, cynic, realist, or agent of absolute chaos?
What’s their emotional state in this moment? Are they defensive, hopeful, wary, repressing the urge to throw hands?
What’s their “soul scar”*—the deep wound that affects how they communicate? (And no, “being a Scorpio” doesn’t count.)
Example:
Let’s say two characters are discussing a dangerous mission. Instead of both saying, “This is risky,” give them different ways to express their concerns:
The Pessimist: “We’re all going to die. You know that, right?”
The Overconfident One: “Relax. I’ve done worse.”
The Logical One: “Statistically speaking, our odds are… not great.”
The Rebel: “Whatever. I’d rather die than sit around doing nothing.”
By splitting up their perspectives, the dialogue becomes sharper, more engaging, and more true to character. Instead of thinking of a scene where characters talk about a certain topic, divide up their concerns and viewpoints. Give each character a different aspect to focus on based on their unique perspective. This not only sharpens their voices but also makes the dialogue richer and more layered.
Step 2: Contrast Characters Through Dialogue
The key to making characters sound different isn’t just in what they say—it’s in how they say it.
Here are five elements that create contrast between voices:
1.) Speaking Patterns
How a character structures their speech tells readers a lot about who they are. Some characters might be overly direct, cutting straight to the point, while others might dance around an issue for paragraphs. Here are some things to consider:
Do they ramble or get straight to the point? (A professor might over-explain, while a soldier keeps it short and blunt.)
Do they interrupt others or wait their turn? (A dominant, aggressive character might constantly cut in, while a more reserved one holds back.)
Are they blunt and straightforward, or do they use roundabout phrasing to soften their words? (A tactful politician will frame things carefully, whereas a no-nonsense mercenary won’t sugarcoat anything.)
2.) Presenting Information
Who lays out facts and logic vs. who speaks emotionally? (A scientist might list statistics, while a grieving mother speaks in raw feeling.)
Who speaks with certainty vs. who hedges their words with maybe and probably? (A confident leader speaks in absolutes; an anxious character qualifies everything they say.)
3.) Word Choice & Expressions
Give each character a distinctive phrase they use occasionally. (A detective might always say, “Here’s what I think happened.”)
Do they use formal language or are they casual, even crass? (A nobleman won’t speak like a street thief—unless they’re hiding something.)
4.) Metaphors & Comparisons
A character’s background influences how they see the world and the comparisons they make:
A scientist might say, “Our chances of survival are like Schrödinger’s cat—we won’t know until we open the box.”
A chef might describe a tense situation as “overcooked and about to burn.”
A warrior might compare everything to battle: “This is a war of attrition—we just have to outlast them.”
5.) How the Dialogue Looks on the Page
Even visually, dialogue should hint at a character’s personality:
Who speaks in long-winded paragraphs vs. who uses short, snappy lines?
Who constantly interrupts? (Shows dominance, impatience, or urgency.)
Who always has to have the last word? (Indicates arrogance, insecurity, or playfulness.)
By fine-tuning these details, you create natural contrast between voices and can make every conversation feel dynamic and true to each character.
Step 3: Let Dialogue Be Messy & Realistic
Real conversations don’t follow perfect structure. To make your dialogue feel authentic:
Allow interruptions. People cut each other off all the time.
Let thoughts overlap. Not every reply directly follows the last statement.
Make room for pauses and unsaid words. What’s not said is just as important.
Remember that grammar isn’t always perfect in speech.
Writing Exercises: Strengthening Your Dialogue
Now that you know how to craft distinct, engaging dialogue, it's time to put those skills to the test! These exercises will help you refine your character voices, strengthen contrast, and add depth to your conversations.
Exercise 1: Flip the Perspective
Take a scene you’ve written and rewrite it from another character’s perspective. How does their voice, tone, and word choice change? What do they notice that the original character didn’t?
Exercise 2: Ramble vs. Precision
Write a short conversation between two characters. One should be long-winded and rambling, the other short and to the point. Let their speech patterns contrast naturally.
Exercise 3: Subtext Matters
Write a scene where two characters are arguing—but instead of outright saying what they mean, they bury their true feelings in subtext. Let their words and actions hint at what’s really going on beneath the surface.
Exercise 4: Word Choice Experiment
Describe the same object (e.g., a broken-down house) through three different characters. A poet, a detective, and a child. Notice how their backgrounds shape their descriptions.
Exercise 5: Action Breaks
Take a dialogue-heavy scene and break it up with action tags. See how small gestures, facial expressions, or environmental cues can add layers of depth to the conversation.
Concluding Thoughts
People in real life sometimes sound similar, especially if they spend a lot of time together. But there should be moments where their voice, worldview, and way of speaking are undeniably theirs.
If you’ve ever spent enough time around someone and started picking up on their idioms or speech patterns, you’ve seen this in action. Your characters will do the same, but that doesn’t mean they should all start sounding like clones. Balance similarity with distinctiveness.
So here's the basic golden rule of dialogue:
Not every single piece of dialogue needs to sound unique to a character, but every character needs some dialogue that only sounds like them.
Now go forth and make your characters sound like actual human beings (or whatever species they are).
What’s your biggest struggle with dialogue? Drop a comment below!
May every blank page bring excitement and never dread!
—Bair✍︎
Endnote:
*A soul scar is the deep, defining wound that shapes a character’s worldview, decisions, and emotional responses. It’s the core of their internal conflict—whether it’s a past betrayal, loss, failure, or fear—that influences how they interact with others, approach challenges, and express themselves. Their dialogue, actions, and beliefs are all filtered through this lingering wound, whether they acknowledge it or not.
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