3 Critical Mistakes You're Making with Dialogue

If your dialogue sounds stiff or unnatural, you're not alone—dialogue is one of the hardest craft elements to master. Learn how to write conversations that sound like real people through subtext, distinct character voices, natural interruptions, and strategic editing.

0:00 Introduction
0:47 Multiple jobs of dialogue
2:42 Subtext and what's unsaid
3:53 Interruptions
5:51 Distinct character voices
8:38 Dialogue tags and action beats
11:08 Cut the boring parts
12:58 Common mistakes to avoid
14:04 Your dialogue exercise
15:06 Wrap-up

Master dialogue: The Inimitable Writing Community's Query-Ready course has a whole lesson on dialogue, plus accompanying exercises. Membership includes weekly Q&As with a publishing professional with almost a decade of experience (named one of Publishing's 40 under 40). https://inimitable.pub/community

Next up: Learn what "show don't tell" actually means in the next video of this playlist.    • Master Your Craft: Storytelling Secrets fo...  

Share your favorite dialogue: What's a line you've written or read that really works? Tell us in the comments!

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