How to write dialog that doesn't sound like a WWE promo

[BeezussWrites]

Probably been asked before, but how do you make dialog less scripted. I've done that "just say it out loud" stuff that others said, but it still feels stiff when I come back and read it.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

WWE promos are good.

 

[BeezussWrites]

WWE promos are good.

They're definitely entertaining, but I don't wanna have small talk with Randy Orton.

 

[ThisAdamGuy]

I've done that "just say it out loud" stuff that others said, but it still feels stiff when I come back and read it.

Then you rewrite it and read it out loud again. Repeat until it no longer feels stiff.

 

[Naash]

Honestly, I try to put a somewhat heavy accent at every dialogue I repeat out loud. If I end up cringing at the accent and not the dialogue, then I tell myself that I've succeeded at making a somewhat realistic interaction between a native and a non-native.

That might not help a lot, but that's my two cents.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

They're definitely entertaining, but I don't wanna have small talk with Randy Orton.

Add facial expressions and mannerisms. Small hand movements, foot tapping, etc; in other words, action tags.

 

[Tempokai]

WWE promos have better love dialogue than Twilight, so it's actually better than nothing.

Also, you don't say it out loud, you take the context where the character is currently at, and channel the most believeable response that character can have. Know the character (context) and yourself (your communication experience), and you'll know what the character needs to say at that moment. Master inferring from the context, and the dialogue will be easy, because it's the job of the storyteller to communicate from the text to the reader.