Skill Focus – Dialogue Weakness

Because if your characters all sound the same—or like you—the reader disappears. Let's fix that.

✨ Welcome to the Character Voice Sound Booth

Weak dialogue doesn’t always mean “bad.” Sometimes it just means:

  • Too clean

  • Too perfect

  • Too expositional

  • Too similar between characters

  • Too… not how people actually talk

Strong dialogue feels distinct, charged, and anchored in subtext, conflict, or desire. Let’s get your characters off the page and into real conversations.

🧠 What Does Weak Dialogue Look Like?

It can show up in a few ways:

1. Same-Voice Syndrome

All your characters sound the same—like they’re just you in different hats.

2. Info Dumping in Disguise

“As you know, Commander, the X-47 ship was destroyed in the Battle of Neon Ridge.”

No one talks like that. Ever. Even in space.

3. Too Polished / Lacks Interruptions

“I believe this situation could have been prevented had we acted more swiftly.”
Okay, cool. But where are the contractions? The emotion? The stumbles?

🛠️ Try This Rewrite Drill

Here’s a flat exchange:

“I am not happy.”
“I see. Would you like to talk about it?”
“Yes. That would be acceptable.”

You know what to do.

💡 Tip: Give each character a distinct rhythm, vocabulary, or emotional filter. Let one interrupt. Let one go quiet. Let it breathe and break.

🎯 Quillwyn’s Dialogue Revive Checklist

Ask:

  • Does each character have a unique verbal fingerprint?

  • Is there emotional charge beneath the words?

  • Would this line sound weird out loud—or in a movie?

  • Is the dialogue doing more than just exchanging facts?

Great dialogue:

  • Reveals character

  • Creates tension

  • Feels alive even on mute

🧪 Bonus Tip: Play It Out Loud

Read your dialogue aloud.
Better yet—act it out. If it feels stiff, robotic, or expository? Rewrite until it sings (or mutters or stammers—whatever suits your scene).

💬 Need Help? Ask Quillwyn!

Drop a scene and say:

“Can you help me revise this dialogue to sound more natural or distinct?”

She’ll help you break the stiffness, amp the subtext, and give your characters their own damn voices.