The Rules of Dialogue

When it comes to storytelling, there are many elements to help create an amazing tale. Dialogue is important when writing a creative piece, as it helps distinguish the relations between characters. For example, dialogue between characters where one is the boss and the other character is an employee will be more professional than the dialogue between siblings. 

Dialogue can also help your story flow better, and move from one scene to another. As well as that it can help to show, rather than tell the reader what is happening.

Yet, when writing your dialogue you want it to not only be formatted correctly, but to read smoothly and not be seen as a big mess. 

During my first year at University, we had a lecture about dialogue and there we were told about the ten rules of dialogue to help us to perfect it.

1. In Britain and Australia the speech marks are single. Whereas in other places such as America, the speech marks are double. E.g. British: ‘Sally, listen to me will you.’ American: “Sally, listen to me will you.” 

If you are from Britain and thinking is this true, yes it is. When I started University I used double speech marks as at school we are taught the American version. I don’t know the reason for this, we just are. 

2. Some writers have copied James Joyce who uses dashes when it comes to dialogue. Which is seen like this: — I have, Sally said. 

However, in other cases people don’t even use the dashes and simply capitalises the first letter spoken. Will cleared his throat. Fine, Sally, if you want to act like that, he said, You are so immature.

3. Dialogue can be quoted or reported. This simply means when it is quoted the dialogue is in the speech marks. Whereas reported is to tell the reader what some has said without putting it in the speech marks. 

An example: Sally said, ‘Immature, me? I have been listening to you, yet you are not listening to me.’ Compare to: Sally told Will that she is not immature as she had been listening to him, while he hasn’t listened to her. 

4. Try your best to just use these types of attribution tags such as said/say or asked/ask. Keeping it simple is sometimes better than using these attribution tags: he asserted or she reported. 

However, sometimes it’s fine to change it up a bit. If you just use said or say, depending on what tenses you are writing in, it can become too repetitive. 

5. There are two ways for the reader to know who is speaking. Either using attribution tags or action tags. Attribution tag: ‘Perhaps you are alright, I should listen to you too,’ Will said. Action tag: ‘Too right you should.’ Sally crossed her arms. 

As you can see in both of these tags you can tell who spoke what words. Yet remember you don’t have to add tags all the time, sometimes it’s just fine not to as long as the reader can tell who is speaking. 

6. No matter how you show who is talking. Dialogue must be set off with commas if an attribution tag is used: Will nursed his face and said, ‘Really, Sally? I’ve just apologised.’ Yet if the comma comes after the dialogue it’s in the speech marks: ‘But you are all talk,’ said Sally. 

Yet, if it’s an action tag a full stop will replace the comma: Will nursed his face. ‘Really, Sally? I’ve just apologised.’ or ‘But you are all talk.’ Sally faced away from Will. 

7. However, in some cases the dialogue might not finish with a comma, full stop or even a question mark. These sentences in dialogue can be seen as incomplete because one, a person might have been interrupted, which you can use a dash: There was a silence. Sally looked back at Will and said, ‘That’s the truth, you always do that —’

Or a character trails off and then you could use ellipses: ‘I do not do that,’ said Will, ‘I do let you talk…’

8. A new line for a new speaker. This makes it clearer to understand who is speaking, and it doesn’t make every look clunky. 

9. It is seen as odd when a character’s speech extends over a paragraph, and can also be seen as bulky. A tip is to not use a closed speech mark at the end of the first paragraph but still use an open speech mark in the next paragraph. For example:

Sally said, ‘See you are doing it again. Whenever I try to speak you just interrupt me and it’s not right. I am meant to sit here and listen to you babble along and let you vent and express your side of the story but yet I am not. 

‘It’s always been like this and it’s not fair for me. It’s not right. How can I be happy in this marriage when you are always yapping and never let me talk. You think you are always right, but I am sure I can tell you a number of times when you weren’t.’ 

As you can see it makes everything look neater and clearer, and not make the reader think that there are a lot of words to read and then scare them.

10. Do not use adverbs, overwise you’ll be over explaining. If you do this it therefore means your dialogue isn’t strong enough. For example if a character is angry, show it in their dialogue or action, don’t state that they said it angrily. E.g: ‘That is not true, you do the same,’ Will said angrily, compared to: ‘That’s not true, you do the same.’ Spit flew out of Will’s mouth as heat rushed over his cheeks. 

Which dialogue seems better? The latter one, because it’s showing the reader the anger instead of telling them. 

These are the rules that I have learnt from university when it comes with dialogue. Two things that can be seen that they have missed is using attribution or action tags in the middle of dialogue and what to do if speech ends with a question mark. 

Here are some examples with the tags: 

‘Perhaps we should talk about this tomorrow,’ Sally said, ‘let us both chill.’ 

‘Sounds like a good idea,’ Will said, nursing his face. ‘I guess it all got a bit too much.’

‘For really.’ Sally picked up the plates from the table. ‘I’ll wash, you dry.’

When using an attribution tag, due to the comma the sentence is not finished, and therefore the first letter in the second piece of dialogue is not capitalised. Whereas with the action tag it uses a full stop, and thus the first letter of the second part of dialogue is capitalised as it’s a part of a different sentence. 

Now with question marks, they are treated the same as commas. For example: ‘If you want I can wash and dry?’ asked Will. The only time you will capitalise after the question mark is if the next word is a proper noun, such as: Will. 

This might all seem like a lot, but trust me it is easy to learn. Of course when you are writing your story you will make mistakes with dialogue, which is why it’s important to read and edit. 

Remember to experiment, try and find how you prefer to indicate that someone is speaking. I use single speech marks, not only because I live in England but because to me it’s the option that makes it clearer that speech is happening. 

A useful tip is to read as a writer. Study how other writers have written the dialogue in their books, it might not previously follow these rules that I have presented. As long as it’s clear and needed then you’ve written the dialogue well.