Dear Writers,

Today I have a little tip for you, on writing dialogue. Someone was asking me recently about what mistakes I see most often in dialogue, and one of them is that their characters all sound too similar.

The way people speak will denote their character. Eg a bold person will speak boldly. A timid person will use completely different words, and express them in a different way. The bold person will be direct. The timid person may beat about the bush, go red, fumble and look at the ground. The bold person might fold their arms, stand their ground, and look you in the eye.

So show how your characters are feeling, and their personality, in your dialogue, by their actions as well as their words.

Trust that helps?

Until next time,

Janet