How to write good dialogue between characters?

[Anonjohn20]

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It's more like hundreds of plot ideas that I struggle to connect to a coherent storyline. For me writing is like solving a puzzle with pieces from different boards.

 

[Clo]

So story time.
Years ago, I watched Paranoia Agent, a TV series by Satoshi Kon. While Kon is known for his incredible storytelling, he worked with a writer, Seishi Minakami, to bring the series to life.

On the DVD, there was a behind-the-scenes feature where Minakami shared a piece of advice he learned from Kon about writing dialogue. This advice completely changed how I approach it, and I think it might help you too.

The Key to Natural Dialogue: Two People, Two Agendas

Kon explained that real conversations don’t flow the way we think they do. People often don’t fully listen to each other; instead, they have their own ideas or goals they’re trying to express. What you end up with is not a neat back-and-forth exchange, but something closer to two monologues happening at the same time. Each person is focused on their own point of view, even if they pretend to engage with the other.

Here’s an example of stiff, robotic dialogue, which often happens in amateur writing:

"Hi, Joe."
"Oh, hi, Mary."
"How are you doing, Joe?"
"Oh, I'm doing fine, Mary."

It sounds like the characters are reading a script where each line directly responds to the one before it. Real people don’t talk like this. (Especially avoid naming the characters every sentence like this, it's such a common thing in writing, but you almost NEVER hear people calling each other by name in real life. at least I don't!)

Instead, Kon’s approach is about giving each character their own internal agenda. For example:

"Joe, did you see the notice on the bulletin board?"
"Yeah, but seriously, do you think Bob's getting fired?"
"I was asking about the notice—what do you think it’s about?"
"I’m telling you, it’s probably about Bob!"

See the difference? Both characters are speaking, but they’re not fully engaging with each other. Each one is steering the conversation toward their own interest or focus, which feels much more authentic.

Why This Works:

1. Conflict or Tension: Even in casual conversations, people have different priorities. Misalignment creates subtle tension that makes dialogue more dynamic.
2. Characterization: What someone says (and avoids saying) reveals who they are. A person ignoring the other’s point could come off as self-centered, anxious, or single-minded.
3. Realism: People rarely speak in perfect volleys. They interrupt, change topics, or misunderstand each other.

When writing your dialogue, ask yourself:

• What does each character want out of this conversation?
• Are they listening, or are they just waiting for their turn to speak?
• How does this reflect who they are?

By thinking of dialogue as a collision of agendas rather than a polite exchange, you’ll create conversations that feel alive and true to your characters.

 

[Ananias5]

Hi, I'm struggling to write good dialogue between characters in my novel. I feel like every time I write it, it's rather robotic and not actually like two people talking. I don't know where I'm going wrong and how to fix this feeling. Any tips?

My tip with dialogue is conflict or compliment.
I'll use my story as an example. One of my characters is a huge anime weeb. He's always talking about cosplaying and his favorite waifu, ext. Then comes my other character who's a doctor, well spoken, and prefers exploring nature over watching television. They're friends but because of their different interests I can have them jab at each other and also compliment each other where the other is lacking.
To create different voices with your characters give them different hobbies and habits then have them interact and clash.

 

[Clo]

To create different voices with your characters give them different hobbies and habits then have them interact and clash.

And that is the secret behind Quentin Tarantino's dialogue, too! It’s similar to Satoshi Kon's explanation of how dialogue works.
The burger conversation (which sadly, is absolutely lies!) about European names of McDonald's quarterpounder cheese is probably one of the most famous example of the same kind of hobby-related banter Ananias5 is talking about here.
Bonus point for writing that kind of stuff? It can be fun to info-dump as a writer, especially for the nerdy, neurodivergent ones like myself.

Satoshi Kon almost always will have one character teaching the audience about movie writing or direction as part of the movie itself. There's even an "inception-style" moment in *Paprika* where the police officer, who used to study movie-making, explains to Paprika how some scenes in movies are purpose-built to explain and demonstrate something to the audience. Which, ironically, is happening in the movie (they're at a movie theater, watching something), but it's also happening to the viewer at that exact moment too (since the police officer's explanation is also aimed at us). He's a master of these kind of scenes.

 

[Ananias5]

And that is the secret behind Quentin Tarantino's dialogue, too! It’s similar to Satoshi Kon's explanation of how dialogue works.
The burger conversation (which sadly, is absolutely lies!) about European names of McDonald's quarterpounder cheese is probably one of the most famous example of the same kind of hobby-related banter Ananias5 is talking about here.
Bonus point for writing that kind of stuff? It can be fun to info-dump as a writer, especially for the nerdy, neurodivergent ones like myself.

Satoshi Kon almost always will have one character teaching the audience about movie writing or direction as part of the movie itself. There's even an "inception-style" moment in *Paprika* where the police officer, who used to study movie-making, explains to Paprika how some scenes in movies are purpose-built to explain and demonstrate something to the audience. Which, ironically, is happening in the movie (they're at a movie theater, watching something), but it's also happening to the viewer at that exact moment too (since the police officer's explanation is also aimed at us). He's a master of these kind of scenes.

I had no clue about this.

 

[ClosetPossum]

I just put myself in my character's shoes and fully immerse myself in the conversation like a solo role play. It's worked for me for well over 10 years. Don't see why it'd stop now.

 

[Zagaroth]

1) Know who the characters are. This is part of
2) Know how the characters speak and why.

Example: one of my MCs has a tendency to be a bit more formal and to use precise wording, which often means using a larger vocabulary. He's not trying to show off, he just wants to be precise and clear. This sometimes goes beyond what is needed for the conversation at hand, so while it is a good trait in many ways, it does have its flaws.

Another MC is very well read but does not have the depth of education that the one above does. She can usually follow what he is saying, but she is far more likely to be casual in her conversational style.

And the third MC's education has mostly been focused on physical training along with a much smaller amount of training for how to behave in a formal setting, as she is part of a fairly large religious organization that does interact with nobility on occasion. She has to know how to behave well, but unless in a setting that forces her to be formal she is very laid back.

All of this means that they have different ways of speaking and different word choices.

Combine that with interlacing action with your dialog. Someone scratching at their ear in embarrassment, or giving a wink when teasing someone, or shaking their head in disagreement, or fidgeting with an object, or taking a sip of tea, etc.

These actions should be woven in between sentences as appropriate, because people do not just sit there and talk. People move while talking and at the very least tend to gesture. Do your best to imagine the whole seen and figure out what a character would be doing while they are talking.

 

[soupsabaw]

There's a few things you can do. I'll use some of my published work as examples:

1. Avoid just line after line starting with "[Dialogue]." Try adding in words or actions before. It's common that when you begin a new dialogue you should start a new line, however, if the actions have to deal with the character, they can follow through. Additionally, you can avoid using words like "x character said" or "y character yelled" because the person of relevance can already be mentioned with their actions. Don't be afraid to add actions between phrases as well. It helps for visuals. For example:

“Malaya, you were so cool. Sometimes I wish I had wings.”

Malaya shook her head at her human friend. “Then you wouldn’t be Reyka,” she said. The phoenix hooked an arm around her friend’s shoulder and headed to the fighters’ benches.

Reyka hummed happily and walked with Malaya, helping the phoenix sit down. Even though she had been in a fight moments before, Malaya was full of energy and unharmed.

“That cyclopes didn’t stand a chance against you,” Reyka said, hanging Malaya a bottle of iced water from one of the yeti’s stands.

2. Do not only use the word "said." There are so many words you can pick from. "Asked," "questioned," "yelled," "hollered." Or even words that mean your character is speaking with it like "sighed," "huffed," "groaned," "smiled," to add pictures and feelings to what your reader is imagining in their head.

3. Breaks. Take breaks. Write your piece of work, take a break, and come back and read it out loud. I know, it sounds kind of silly, but hearing someone say it can help even if it's just yourself. If you can't add emotion through your own created dialogue, think of what you can say to spice it up.

4. Write how characters speak. A good example of this is Atsumu Miya from Haikyuu!! or Somegorou Akitsu III from The Sword of a Demon Hunter. Both of these characters come from a specific area of Japan and have an accent. Write in their accent. Write how they speak. These two examples specifically say things like, "Ya'know?" "Whaddya?" "Yah." "Doin'." It adds more life to your characters.

Doing this has helped me with one of my characters. His name is Pater Ryu, and he genuinely speaks like a robot sometimes. He is royalty and grew up with a manner of speaking that makes people a bit uncomfortable, like not using contractions (ex. he says cannot instead of can't, will not instead of won't, could not instead of couldn't). Dialogue is so important because it can also tell your readers their personalities. From this passage here, you can see that Pater is stoic and Malaya is extroverted. So while you're writing your dialogue, think about your characters' personalities to help you.

Malaya decided it was best to change the topic. She glanced over at him for a moment before she cleared her throat and said, “Pater, I’m wanting to expand my energy limit.” He turned his head to her. The faint red dot in his eye was a lot brighter than any other yeti Malaya had met. She had to say that she was lucky to get to know him. “You’re the only person who I know who has done it so well. Not even the scribe has accomplished it. How do I do it?”

“I do not know if everyone is different, but I continuously trained my ability and used it repetitively,” Pater said. “I have supplied Bering for thirteen years now. Since I was fourteen. I have been working on it for years.”

“So, you’re saying I can’t catch up to you?” Malaya asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Not at all. I do not think of myself as stronger than others. If you tried, you could surely surpass me. I am not strong because I am a yeti, I am strong because I am trained,” he said. “Phoenixes are naturally very powerful beasts, Malaya, you will be sure to pass me.”

“You said my name,” Malaya said, her face lighting up some. She stared at Pater’s face. His cheeks got a little red. He was embarrassed! “Hah!” she voiced out loud. “We’re friends! Admit it!

Of course, I'm not a professional or anything... but these are just some things I can think of at the moment.