Crafting Page-Turning Dialogue

by Darlene L. Turner

Boring dialogue kills a story. Would you agree with this statement?

We’ve probably all read those scenes where two characters chat and chat and chat about nothing. Oh hum. Our attention drifts, and we think about everything we need to get done around us. Cleaning, laundry, walking the dog, washing our hair. Right? Boring dialogue sounds flat, and yes, sometimes makes us skim.

What if we made our dialogue sizzle? We’d read closer because the page comes to life. The characters speak to us—their words carry weight and emotion. Powerful dialogue is a writer’s most effective tool, but how can we make it come alive and make our readers turn the page?

Let’s look at six ways to bring our dialogue to life.

Dialogue must have a purpose—we should ask: why is this character speaking? Not only must dialogue reveal the character’s tone, reveal their personality, and create tension, it has to advance the plot. If the dialogue’s only purpose is to fill the page, cut it. Remember, move the plot.

Dialogue should feel real, but not TOO real—as you know, our normal every-day-life
conversations are full of: How are you? How’s the weather? What are you up to today? While all
that is true to life, readers want us to get to the chase. We have to allow our characters to speak
with intent and engage the audience. Quit the small talk.

Dialogue shouldn’t have clutter—we often use adverbs to tell readers how the character is
saying what they’re saying. For example:

— “You blew it,” he said angrily.

We have to show his anger, not say it.
— “You blew it.” He slammed his hand down on the table.

Replace these clutter tags with beats. Drizzle in some emotion, action, or body language. When
we do this, it will improve the rhythm. Readers will keep turning the pages.

Dialogue must show the character’s voice—here’s a great exercise. Remove all tags from your
dialogue. Can you tell which character is speaking? A distinctive voice can bring our dialogue
alive! Consider the character’s gender, age, vocation, where they live, etc. A police officer
wouldn’t speak the same as a librarian. A teenager the same as an eighty-year-old. Someone
from the south wouldn’t sound like a northerner, EH? (sorry, couldn’t resist) Listen to how
people talk and take notes. This will help the voices sound authentic.

Dialogue should have some subtext—saying what you’re not saying is powerful, right? The
most interesting dialogue is always what’s hidden beneath. A character may say, “they’re fine,”
but their clenched fists or darting eyes tell a different story. Look for ways you can replace direct
statements with implied meaning. Action beats and internal dialogue can help reveal the true
hidden message behind our character’s words.

Dialogue must also use silence to pack a punch—sometimes it’s best to let the silence speak. In
life, we pause, look around, and even have nothing to say. So, we should do the same in our
dialogue. Silence at the correct time can speak volumes!

A final thought. Once we feel we have our conversation edited and ready to go, it’s always best
to read it out loud. We’ll hear what’s off when we do that because good dialogue will flow
flawlessly.

Dialogue goes beyond words—it drives conflict, reveals character, and sparks connection. When
done well, readers will listen and feel. They’ll be inside our story. It’s then that readers will turn
the page!

What other ideas do you have to make your dialogue sing?

Darlene L. Turner is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her high-octane stories and riveting twists. Sparked by Nancy Drew, she’s turned her love of solving mysteries into her writing, believing readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. Dubbed “the plaid queen” for her love of everything plaid, Darlene resides with her husband Jeff in Ontario, Canada. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com.