Why Good Dialogue Matters More Than Clever Plots

I’ve read manuscripts where the descriptions sang, the plots marched forward, yet the dialogue limped. Characters spoke like mannequins, stiff and awkward, saying things no human ever would outside a stage rehearsal. Many new writers stumble here. They think dialogue is a chance to explain, to dump background, or to push the story forward like a wagon in the mud. But dialogue is not explanation. It’s revelation.

Think about how people talk. Rarely do we say exactly what we mean. We circle it, suggest it, dodge it, or bury it in humor. A friend doesn’t say, “I’m heartbroken because my promotion went to someone else.” They shrug, mutter about the weather, and push their food around the plate. The truth lives underneath. Good dialogue works the same way. It thrives on subtext.

I remember one young author who sent me her first draft. Her characters constantly called each other by name: “John, I feel upset.” “Yes, Mary, I can tell.” No one talks like this unless they’re in a soap opera. I told her, “Cut the names. Let the voices carry the scene.” Once she trimmed the excess, her dialogue breathed. Suddenly, John and Mary sounded like people I might meet at the grocery store.

Another trap is info-dumping. Writers fear readers will get lost, so they cram details into characters’ mouths: “As you know, Susan, ever since Dad died three years ago and left us the farm, we’ve been struggling to pay the bills.” Readers see through this instantly. No one talks that way, especially to someone who already knows the information. The trick is to trust the reader. Share the facts through action, suggestion, or conflict—not speeches.

Distinct voices matter, too. I once worked with an author whose entire cast spoke with the same rhythm, vocabulary, and tone. Every character sounded like the author. Real people don’t talk alike. One drops g’s, another uses metaphors, another interrupts, another speaks in short bursts. If you want proof, sit in a coffee shop and eavesdrop. Take notes. Listen for cadence, for silence, for interruptions that say more than words.

Dialogue also carries weight when it leaves space. Writers often crowd every line with talk. But silence can be louder. A character refusing to answer, looking away, or walking out of the room speaks volumes. Trust the pause. Readers lean in when characters hold back.

When I write, I test dialogue by reading it out loud. If my tongue stumbles, the words are wrong. If it sounds wooden, it probably is. Dialogue must move like conversation, not like a lecture. Real conversations overlap, break, and restart. They reveal personality not by what’s said, but by how it’s said.

Of course, natural doesn’t mean exact transcription. If you copy speech word for word, you’ll get endless ums, likes, and filler. The writer’s job is to distill conversation into its essence—tight enough to read, loose enough to feel real. It’s not a tape recorder; it’s a mirror polished just enough to catch the truth.

At its heart, dialogue is intimacy. It lets readers eavesdrop on moments they wouldn’t otherwise hear. Done well, it doesn’t just pass information—it builds tension, exposes flaws, reveals love, and sharpens conflict. Bad dialogue explains. Good dialogue exposes.

So, when you sit down to write conversations, remember:

  • Keep names rare.
  • Kill info-dumps.
  • Distinguish voices.
  • Use silence.
  • Read it aloud.

Dialogue is the sound of your story breathing. Don’t smother it with explanations. Let it inhale and exhale with the rhythm of life.

The Power of Authors: A Rallying Cry for Today’s Writers to Recognize Their Power, Rise to Their Calling, and Write with Moral Conviction, written by Evan and Lois Swensen with a foreword by Jane L. Evanson, PhD, launches this September. You’ve been reading its heartbeat in these messages — soon you can hold the book in your hands.

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