Don’t Go Easy on Dialogue

Ali Luke’s guest column on “10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Dialogue” on Write To Done made me reflect on the thingsI’ve learned about dialogue over the years. There are easy waysfor improving your dialogue, but don’ttake the easy way out. Don’t write the first thing that comes to mind. That’s being lazy.

Go beyond what’s easy.

1. The best dialogue reflects what’s not being said, such aswhen charactershide things, are “less than truthful,” ordodge answering questions directly.

2. In every conve...