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name: dialogue-craft description: | Dialogue writing techniques for screenplays. Covers subtext, character voice differentiation, exposition handling, and the four purposes of dialogue (reveal character, advance plot, create conflict, entertain).

Use when: polishing dialogue, developing subtext, differentiating character voices, or handling exposition in screenplay dialogue.

Dialogue Craft

Core Principles

Character Voice

Each character should have a distinctive voice based on:

• Vocabulary - Education, background, profession
• Rhythm - Short/long sentences, interruptions
• Syntax - Formal/informal, complete/fragmented
• Idioms - Regional, cultural, generational

Subtext

What characters mean vs. what they say:

• Characters rarely say exactly what they mean
• Conflict between text and subtext creates tension
• Actions can contradict words
• Silences speak volumes

Techniques

Exposition Through Conflict

Bad:

CopySARAH
I'm your sister who you haven't seen in five years since mom's funeral.

Good:

CopySARAH
Five years and you couldn't even call?

MIKE
I was at the funeral.

SARAH
For an hour. Then you vanished.

Oblique Dialogue

Characters talk around the real issue:

CopySARAH
How's the apartment?

MIKE
It's fine.

SARAH
Just fine?

MIKE
What do you want me to say?

(They're really discussing their relationship, not the apartment)

Interruptions and Overlaps

CopySARAH
I think we should—

MIKE
—talk about this later?

Silence and Pauses

CopySARAH
Did you love her?

Mike doesn't answer. His silence says everything.

Voice Differentiation

Common Pitfalls

• On-the-nose dialogue - Characters stating feelings directly
• Expository lumps - Information dumps
• Generic voice - All characters sound the same
• Name overuse - "Well, Sarah, I think..."
• Redundant dialogue - Saying what action shows

Best Practices

1. Read dialogue aloud
2. Cover character names—can you tell who's speaking?
3. Cut anything that doesn't reveal character or advance plot
4. Use silence and action as dialogue
5. Let subtext do the heavy lifting