Writing dialogue can be tricky. Not only do you have to give your characters a unique voice, but you also need to format their speech correctly. Dialogue formatting is crucial for readability, as it can help differentiate between characters’ dialogue and narration. In this blog post, we’ll be discussing some common mistakes that writers make when formatting dialogue and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Overusing Dialogue Tags 🗣️💬

Dialogue tags are words used to indicate who is speaking. While they are useful in helping readers follow the conversation, they can be overused. Writers can fall into the trap of using tags like “said” or “asked” too frequently, which can become repetitive and dull. Instead, try to show who is speaking through their actions or dialogues.

For example, instead of saying, “I’m so glad to see you,” Jane said with a smile, try, “Jane’s eyes lit up as she exclaimed, ‘I’m so glad to see you!’” In this way, the reader understands who is talking without needing an explicit dialogue tag.

A computer screen with the word "said" highlighted in red.

Mistake #2: Punctuating Dialogue Improperly 🚫❌

Punctuation is key to effective dialogue formatting. Incorrectly punctuated dialogue can confuse readers, leading to a disconnect between them and your story. The most common mistake that writers make is forgetting to include proper quotation marks.

For example, consider the following sentence: He exclaimed, “I can’t believe it’s not butter”. The correct way to punctuate this would be: He exclaimed, “I can’t believe it’s not butter.”

Another common error is to misplace punctuation outside of the quotation marks. For instance, writing: “I’m so happy,” she said. “I could cry!” This should be written as “I’m so happy,” she said. “I could cry!”

A writing book beside a pen and a ruler.

Mistake #3: Writing Dialogue That’s Too Formal 🤵👩‍⚖️

In real life, people don’t speak in the same way as they write. Overly formal dialogue can feel stilted and unnatural. It’s essential to strike a balance between writing dialogue that’s too formal and dialogue that’s too casual or slang-heavy, maintaining a consistent tone of voice for the character.

To ensure your dialogue sounds natural, consider how real people speak. Take note of the words and phrases they use in everyday conversation and incorporate them into your writing. Let your characters speak naturally, and avoid forcing them into dialogue that sounds like it’s from a different era or culture.

A group of people talking to each other.

Mistake #4: Using Too Many Adverbs or Adjectives 🤵👩‍⚖️

Adjectives and adverbs are commonly used to describe characters’ emotions or actions, but overuse can result in purple prose. Too many of them can detract from the overall impact of the dialogue and dilute its meaning.

Rather than relying on adverbs and adjectives, use dialogue itself to convey emotions. For example, instead of dialogue tags like, “said happily,” try using descriptions that add depth to the character’s voice or personality.

A sheet of paper with different types of adverbs and adjectives written on it.

Mistake #5: Not Varying Sentence Structures 💭🔁

When writing dialogue, it’s easy to fall into repetitive sentence structures. Boring dialogue can kill a reader’s interest in a book or story. Keep things interesting by varying the sentence structure and pacing. Use short, punchy sentences for action scenes, while longer, more complex sentences can provide background or exposition.

Image Description>A photo of a person typing on a computer, with a speech bubble with different sentence structures inside it.</Image Description>

Avoiding these common mistakes will help you write dialogue that’s natural, engaging, and easy to read. By varying your sentence structures, avoiding overuse of dialogue tags and adjectives, punctuating correctly, balancing formal and informal diction, and presenting dialogue differently for different characters, you can craft dialogue that’s engaging, realistic and compelling.

A stack of books on a table, with a speech bubble on top.