5 Tips on Writing Realistic Dialogue

     We have all read books where the dialogue was just pitiful. It was either an information dump or so fluffed up we could barely stand to read it. We, of course, do not want to be that writer. But how can you write realistic dialogue, especially in a story with a modern setting? Well, here are some tips: 
1.      Listen – The first thing you should do before ever writing dialogue is to listen to the people speaking around you. Eavesdrop on the people on the bus, listen in at the cafeteria, and incline your ear towards the people waiting behind you in line at the store. You can pick up lots of interesting information on how people really speak by just listening to authentic conversations.
2.      Incomplete – One thing you will notice about these conversations is that people do not speak in complete sentences. They often trail off, leave things unsaid, or are cut off by another person. In close friendships and family relationships it only takes a couple words for a whole idea that would be unintelligible to anyone not in the know to figure out. For realistic dialogue you can do the same thing. Just be careful to be clear in what the characters are communicating.
3.      Easy on the Accent – I know we all love to write characters with accents, but go easy on them please. It can become difficult for a reader to follow along with someone whose dialogue looks like a bunch of consonants. The best thing to do is mention the character’s accent once or twice and throw in an occasional reminder. Let the reader ‘hear’ the accent on their own.
4.      Slang –Everyone uses slang, even if they do not realize they are doing it. You don’t want to get too jargon friendly or your audience might not get everything, but you can throw in a phrase here and there to add authenticity. Just make sure the context explains the word.
5.      Read Aloud –The last thing you should do when you feel like you have your dialogue all ready to go is to read it aloud. If you can, have someone else read with you so you can hear the conversations. When you hear the dialogue read aloud you will get a better grasp of what works and what doesn’t.
These are just a few tips to get your dialogue writing on the right path. It is really up to you and your reader’s taste, but authentic dialogue is something that most people can pick up on, and pick apart, quickly, so it is definitely worth your time to do it right. Happy writing!