Dialogue Craft Skill

Invocation Triggers

Apply this skill when:

• Polishing dialogue

• Developing subtext

• Differentiating character voices

• Handling exposition

Dialogue Principles

The Purpose of Dialogue

Every line should:

• Reveal character - How they speak shows who they are

• Advance plot - Move the story forward

• Create conflict - Tension between characters

• Entertain - Be engaging to read/watch

Ideally, each line does 2-3 of these simultaneously.

Subtext

What is Subtext?

The meaning beneath the words. Characters rarely say exactly what they mean.

Surface vs. Subtext

// Surface level only (BAD) JOHN I'm angry at you for lying to me.

// With subtext (GOOD) JOHN (quiet) The coffee's cold.

Creating Subtext

Displacement: Talk about something else entirely

SARAH Did you feed the cat?

JOHN You know I always forget.

// They're talking about how he always lets her down

Deflection: Avoid the real subject

SARAH We need to talk about last night.

JOHN Have you seen my keys?

Contradiction: Say the opposite of truth

SARAH Are you okay?

JOHN Never better.

He won't meet her eyes.

Indirection: Circle around the point

SARAH I saw the ring in your drawer.

JOHN It was my mother's.

SARAH It's beautiful.

JOHN She would have liked you.

// Neither mentions the proposal

Voice Differentiation

Elements of Voice

Element Range

Vocabulary Simple ↔ Complex

Sentence length Short ↔ Long

Formality Casual ↔ Formal

Directness Blunt ↔ Indirect

Humor Dry ↔ Broad

Emotion Reserved ↔ Expressive

Voice by Background

• Education: Vocabulary complexity, grammar

• Region: Slang, rhythm, expressions

• Profession: Jargon, verbal habits

• Age: Generational references, formality

• Personality: Introvert vs. extrovert patterns

Example: Three Characters, Same Information

// Academic PROFESSOR The statistical probability of survival decreases exponentially beyond the 72-hour threshold.

// Street MARCUS Three days, man. After that? You ain't coming back.

// Military COMMANDER Window's 72 hours. Then we write them off.

Handling Exposition

The Problem

Audiences need information, but "info dumps" kill scenes.

Exposition Techniques

Conflict: Characters argue about the information

JOHN The company's been laundering money for years.

SARAH That's insane. My father built this company.

JOHN Then he built it on dirty money.

Discovery: Character learns with audience

Sarah finds the document. Her eyes scan it.

SARAH (reading) "Project Nightfall. Initiated 1985..." (looks up) This goes back forty years.

Need to Know: Character explains to someone who needs it

VETERAN You're new. First rule: Never go below deck 5.

ROOKIE Why? What's down there?

VETERAN That's rule two. Don't ask.

Conflict of Interest: Information becomes ammunition

SARAH I know about the money, John.

JOHN (carefully) What money?

SARAH The hundred thousand in the offshore account. The one you opened the week before you proposed.

What to Avoid

• Characters telling each other what they both know

• "As you know, Bob..." constructions

• Long explanatory monologues

• Information that doesn't serve a scene purpose

Dialogue Rhythm

Varying Line Length

SARAH I loved you.

JOHN I know.

SARAH I would have done anything for you. Given up everything. My career, my family, my future. Everything.

JOHN I know.

Beat and Pause

SARAH I found the letters.

(beat)

JOHN I can explain.

SARAH Can you?

Long silence.

JOHN No.

Overlapping Dialogue

Indicated by -- for interruption:

SARAH I just think we should--

JOHN --Not now.

SARAH But if we could just--

JOHN I said not now.

Common Dialogue Problems

On the Nose

Characters stating emotions directly.

// BAD SARAH I feel betrayed and hurt by your actions.

// BETTER SARAH (sliding off ring) Here. I won't be needing this.

Greeting Rituals

Unnecessary pleasantries.

// BAD JOHN Hello, Sarah. How are you?

SARAH I'm fine, thanks. And you?

JOHN Good, good. Thanks for meeting me.

// BETTER JOHN (seated, waiting) You're late.

SARAH (sitting) You're lucky I came at all.

Identical Voices

All characters sound the same.

Test: Cover character names. Can you tell who's speaking?

Speechifying

Characters make speeches instead of conversation.

Break long speeches with:

• Interruptions

• Action beats

• Other character reactions

• Internal contradiction

Dialogue Polish Checklist

Per Line

• Could this be cut? (If yes, cut it)

• Does it reveal character?

• Does it advance plot?

• Is there subtext?

• Is it speakable?

Per Scene

• Is there conflict in the conversation?

• Do voices sound distinct?

• Is exposition earned?

• Are there moments of silence?

• Does rhythm vary?

Per Script

• Can characters be identified by voice alone?

• Is subtext consistent per character?

• Are relationships clear through dialogue?

• Does dialogue evolve as characters do?