Hi. Today’s topic is how to make dialogue flow.

One of the best ways to make dialog convincing it to give it flow. Real life dialog happens in the moment. Listeners get once chance to take in the words.

That means your dialogue needs to be easy to follow and digest in the moment. If you include too many complex ideas or pack in a lot of information at once, it forces the audience to mentally pause and process — which breaks the flow. If your dialogue pulls their attention in too many directions, they’ll miss the key ideas. Good writing isn’t about cramming in as much as possible. It’s about pacing and clarity. Think of it like diluting information so your viewer has time to absorb each piece.

Some TV and film scripts go too far in the other direction, reducing dialogue to bare-bones phrases like, “How are you?” “Fine,” “Okay,” “See you later.” While these lines may flow smoothly, they often lack depth. I’m not suggesting you dumb things down to that level — but be careful not to overload the dialogue either.

It’s tempting to use dialogue to reveal a lot about a character — their background, what makes them who they are. But stick to the main topic. Characters reveal themselves accidentally and as a side effect of working toward their goals. Narural dialog often has a strong purpose driving it. Let your character reveal themselves but don't get distracted.

Hinting at is more powerful that saying out right. If your character is planning to rob a bank they shouldn't say, "I am planning to rob a bank tonight." Instead have them say something like, "Here are the masks. Does everyone have their weapon?" Your reader can figure out what your character is planing. Audiences are naturally good detectives and can pick up clues.

So before writing a scene, ask yourself: What is the one key idea I want to communicate here? What goal is my character focused on?

Be an actor when you write dialog. Say dialog out loud as you write and say it in the voices of your character. Imagine yourself to be that character as you say the dialog. If your character is chronically sad, imagine yourself to fee the way they do as you say the dialog. Try this technique, it may surprise you how well it works.

Try writing only the dialog first. Here's an example. First I write, "why didn't the alarm go off?" "I don't know. It's not my phone." "Well, that screws everything up."

When I'm done writing that I can go back and add the rest: Millie jumps out of bed. "Why didn't the alarm go off?" She glares as she pulls her blue genes on.

Alber rolls over slowly and groans. "I don't know. It's not my phone."

Milli grabs her trumpet. "Well, that screws everything up."

Writing the dialog first will help you focus on dialog flow. Incidentally, I find it to be an easier and funner way to write.