7

How to Write Realistic Dialogue

Dialogue is an integral part of scripting and is intricately bound up with character development. Inner values and motivations are communicated by the uniqueness of dialogue. What a character says—or doesn’t say—tells us about that character’s state of being.

Ideally, dialogue should be motivated by the circumstances in the scene and should be consistent with the character development already established. Just as the writer has an “inner eye” for visualization, you’ve also got to have an “inner ear” for dialogue that makes the character come to life, adding a dimension of spontaneity and realism to the roles.

Problems and Solutions in Writing Dialogue

Often, the first run at dialogue presents some problems. ...

Get Television and Screen Writing, 4th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.