Dialogue, Voice, and Style

Two Characters Walk Into a Coffee Shop

In the previous lesson, we explored plot structure and story architecture. Now let’s build on that foundation. Read these two versions of the same conversation:

Version A:

“I’m really angry at you,” Sarah said. “I understand that you’re angry. I’m sorry for what I did,” Mark replied. “I don’t know if I can forgive you. You betrayed my trust,” Sarah said. “I know I betrayed your trust. I’ll work to earn it back,” Mark said.

Version B:

Sarah wrapped both hands around her coffee. Still hadn’t taken a sip. “So.” “So.” Mark picked at the cardboard sleeve on his cup. “I keep thinking about what you said. At the hospital.” She finally looked at him. “You know the part.” “Sarah—” “Don’t. I didn’t come here for an apology.” “Then why did you come?” She took a sip. Made a face. “The coffee’s terrible here.” “It’s always been terrible here.” “Yeah.” She set the cup down. “Maybe that’s why.”

Version A is dialogue that tells. Version B is dialogue that shows. Same conversation, same emotions, but in Version B, everything important happens between the lines. The reader feels the tension. The characters feel real.

The Three Laws of Great Dialogue

Law 1: People Don’t Say What They Mean

In real life, people talk around things. They deflect. They use humor to avoid vulnerability. They answer questions with different questions. They say “I’m fine” when they’re falling apart.

This is called subtext: the meaning beneath the words.

I have a scene where [character A] needs to tell [character B]
that [emotional truth].

Write this conversation three ways:
1. On the nose (they say exactly what they mean—show me
   what to avoid)
2. With subtext (they talk about something else entirely,
   but the real conversation is underneath)
3. Through conflict (they're arguing about something
   trivial, but the real issue bleeds through)

Characters: [brief descriptions including personality
and relationship]

Comparing the three versions teaches you to recognize subtext intuitively.

Law 2: Every Character Sounds Different

Cover the dialogue tags in your manuscript. Can you tell who’s speaking? If not, your characters share a voice.

Distinct dialogue comes from:

Use AI to develop distinct voices:

I have two characters in dialogue:

Character A: [name, background, personality]
Character B: [name, background, personality]

They're discussing: [topic]

Write 10 lines of dialogue (alternating) that reveals
their character through HOW they speak, not just what
they say. Include:
- Different vocabulary levels
- Different sentence structures
- At least one verbal habit per character
- A moment where communication styles clash

Law 3: Dialogue Advances Something

Every conversation in your story should advance at least one of these:

• Character (we learn something new about who someone is)
• Plot (the situation changes because of this conversation)
• Tension (conflict increases, alliances shift, secrets threaten to emerge)

If a conversation doesn’t advance any of these, cut it.

Here's a dialogue exchange I've written:
[paste your dialogue]

Evaluate: Does this conversation advance character, plot,
or tension? If it's weak on any axis, suggest specific
revisions to strengthen it without making the dialogue
feel forced.

Dialogue Mechanics

Tags and Beats

Tags are attribution: “she said,” “he asked.”

Beats are actions woven into dialogue: She set down her glass. He looked away.

The rule: “Said” is invisible. Readers’ eyes skip right over it. Fancy alternatives (“he exclaimed,” “she proclaimed,” “he ejaculated”) draw attention to themselves and away from the dialogue. Use “said” and “asked” 90% of the time.

Beats are more useful than tags because they do double duty: they show who’s speaking AND reveal character through body language.

Rewrite this dialogue exchange with stronger beats:
[paste dialogue]

Replace at least half the tags ("said/asked") with action
beats that reveal character emotion or physical behavior.
Keep some "said" tags—they're invisible and useful.
Don't over-choreograph. Not every line needs a beat.

Interruptions and Fragments

Real people interrupt each other. They trail off. They start over mid-sentence.

"I was just thinking that maybe we could—"
"No."
"You didn't even let me—"
"I don't need to. The answer's no."

Quick check: Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.

Em dashes (—) for interruptions. Ellipses (…) for trailing off. Use both sparingly, but don’t be afraid of them.

Finding Your Authorial Voice

What Voice Is

Voice is the cumulative effect of all your writing choices: word selection, sentence rhythm, what you notice, what you skip, how you handle time, your relationship with the reader.

Voice isn’t something you choose. It’s something you uncover.

Voice Discovery Exercise

Write a paragraph about the same subject three different ways. Then ask AI to analyze what’s consistent across all three:

I wrote three versions of [the same scene/subject]:

Version 1: [paste]
Version 2: [paste]
Version 3: [paste]

Analyze what's consistent across all three versions:
- Sentence structure tendencies (length, complexity, rhythm)
- Word choice patterns (concrete vs. abstract, formal
  vs. informal, sensory preferences)
- What I notice/describe vs. what I skip
- My relationship with the reader (distant observer, intimate
  confidant, wry commentator, etc.)
- Emotional tendencies (do I lean toward irony, empathy,
  humor, melancholy?)

These consistencies are the embryo of my voice.
What could I do to strengthen and sharpen them?

Studying Voice in Others

Read authors whose voice captivates you and reverse-engineer what they’re doing:

Here's a passage from [author]: [paste passage]

Analyze the voice techniques:
- Sentence length patterns
- Word choice tendencies
- Imagery preferences
- Rhythm and pacing
- Relationship with the reader
- What makes this voice distinctive and recognizable

Now, here's a passage of mine: [paste your writing]

What elements of my voice could be strengthened by
learning from this author—without copying their style?

The goal isn’t to sound like someone else. It’s to identify techniques that align with your natural inclinations and develop them consciously.

Style: The Sentence-Level Craft

Rhythm

Prose has rhythm like music. Short sentences punch. Long sentences carry the reader along, building momentum and complexity, layering clause upon clause until the weight of the idea becomes physical. See what just happened?

Vary your sentence length deliberately. A paragraph of similar-length sentences creates monotony. Mix them.

Specificity

“The bird landed on the fence” is generic. “The mockingbird landed on the chain-link fence, tipping the top wire with its weight” is specific. Specificity creates images. Images create emotion. Emotion creates readers who care.

Here's a passage I've written: [paste]

Identify 5 places where I could replace generic language
with specific detail. For each:
- What's currently generic
- A specific replacement that appeals to the senses
- Why specificity matters in this particular moment

Pruning

First drafts are always too long. Strong style comes from cutting. Every word should earn its place.

Here's a paragraph: [paste]

Show me this paragraph at three lengths:
1. Current length (identify any deadweight words)
2. Cut 25% (remove what's not essential)
3. Cut 50% (only the bone remains)

For each cut, explain what was lost and whether the loss
matters.

Often the 25% version is the strongest. It has the muscle without the fat.

Putting It All Together

Great creative writing is the intersection of three things: characters who feel real, a story with momentum, and prose with voice. Dialogue lives at the crossroads of all three.

When your characters speak in distinct voices, when their conversations advance the plot and reveal subtext, when every sentence is pruned to its strongest form, your writing develops the invisible quality readers call “voice.”

This can’t be rushed. It develops through practice. But AI accelerates the practice loop by giving you immediate feedback on what’s working and what’s not.

Exercise: The Dialogue Workshop

Write a dialogue scene between two characters. The situation: one person has a secret they’re keeping from the other, but the conversation is about something mundane (dinner plans, a work project, a broken appliance).

After you’ve written it, use AI to evaluate:

Evaluate this dialogue scene:
[paste your scene]

1. Can you identify the secret from subtext clues?
2. Do the characters sound different from each other?
3. Is there tension beneath the surface conversation?
4. Do the beats and tags feel natural?
5. What's the strongest moment, and what's the weakest?

Key Takeaways

• Great dialogue reveals character, advances plot, and creates tension simultaneously
• People don’t say what they mean: subtext is where the real conversation lives
• Every character should have a distinct voice: vocabulary, rhythm, habits, avoidance patterns
• “Said” is invisible and useful; beats do more work than fancy tags
• Your authorial voice already exists in embryo; development means identifying and strengthening your natural patterns
• Style is built through specificity, varied rhythm, and pruning
• AI can generate dialogue variations, analyze voice patterns, and evaluate scenes

Next lesson: writing different genres with AI. Fantasy, mystery, literary fiction, romance, and beyond.