What Dialogue Is Really For (and What It Isn’t)

Hello fellow fiction writers

Most writers love writing dialogue. It’s fun, it moves quickly, and it often feels like the moment your characters finally wake up and start talking for themselves.
But here’s the catch: dialogue isn’t just conversation. In fiction, dialogue has a job to do.
When it works well, readers barely notice it — they’re too busy racing through the scene. When it doesn’t, the story suddenly feels awkward, slow, or strangely artificial.
So let’s talk about what dialogue is actually for, and just as importantly, what it isn’t.

🎯 What Dialogue Is Really For
Dialogue in fiction serves several key purposes.
1. Revealing Character
One of the strongest uses of dialogue is showing who a character really is.
People don’t all speak the same way. Some hedge their words. Some blurt things out. Some dodge questions like politicians at a press conference.
Example:
Version 1 (flat):
“I’m angry with you,” she said.
Version 2 (revealing character):
“Oh no, everything’s perfectly fine,” she said. “Apart from the fact you lied to me.”
The second line tells us more about the character’s personality — and her emotional state.

2. Creating Conflict
Good dialogue almost always contains tension.
If two characters simply agree with each other, the scene loses energy fast.
Example:
Weak dialogue:
“We should leave early.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Nothing happens.
Stronger dialogue:
“We should leave early.”
“And miss the only chance we’ve got to confront him?”
Now we have friction — and friction keeps readers interested.

3. Moving the Story Forward
Dialogue should push the narrative somewhere new.
Characters might reveal information, make decisions, or create consequences.
Example:
“I spoke to the police this morning,” he said. “They’ve reopened the case.”
Suddenly the story has shifted.

4. Adding Rhythm and Variety
Dialogue breaks up long passages of description or internal thought. It gives the reader breathing space.
Think of it as the conversation beats in the music of the story.

🚫 What Dialogue Isn’t For
Dialogue can do a lot — but there are some things it’s terrible at.

1. Dumping Information
This is the classic “As you know, Bob…” problem.
Example:
“As you know, Bob, our father died ten years ago in a mysterious accident that left us both traumatised.”
Nobody talks like this.
Readers can smell information dumps from a mile away.
Instead, let information emerge naturally.
Example:
“You never talk about Dad,” she said.
One line. Same backstory hinted at.

2. Repeating What the Reader Already Knows
Another common problem is characters restating events we’ve already seen.
Example:
“We went to the station, then we missed the train, and then we came back here.”
If the reader witnessed those events, there’s no need to replay them.

3. Filling Empty Space
Sometimes writers use dialogue simply to keep something happening on the page.
Characters chat about the weather, what they had for lunch, or other harmless but irrelevant topics.
Real people talk like that. Fictional characters usually shouldn’t.
Unless the small talk is hiding tension or revealing something important, it’s probably unnecessary.

👣 A Personal Observation
In one of my early drafts years ago, I had a scene where two characters spent nearly three pages discussing what they were going to do next.
Three pages.
They discussed. They analysed. They reconsidered.
And at the end of it… they decided exactly what the reader already knew they would do.
When I cut that scene down to half a page, the chapter suddenly came alive.
Lesson learned: dialogue works best when something changes.

🛠 A Simple Dialogue Test
When editing your dialogue, ask yourself:

• Does this reveal character?
• Does this create tension?
• Does this move the story forward?

If the answer to all three is no, the dialogue probably needs trimming or rewriting.

🎭 A Quick Example
Let’s compare two versions of a short scene.
Version 1:
“Did you bring the money?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Let’s go inside.”
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing particularly interesting either.
Version 2:
“Did you bring the money?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you still standing out here?”
“Because the last time I trusted you, someone tried to kill me.”
Now the scene has tension, history, and intrigue.

🎬 Wrapping It Up
Dialogue isn’t just characters chatting.
In fiction, it’s a tool for:

• revealing character
• creating tension
• advancing the plot
• shaping the rhythm of the story

When dialogue is doing one of those jobs, it feels natural and alive. When it’s not, readers sense something’s off — even if they can’t quite explain why.
So the next time you’re editing a conversation scene, ask yourself a simple question:
What is this dialogue actually doing for the story?
If it earns its place, keep it.
If not… well, even very polite conversations sometimes need to end early.