Of Dialogue and Voyeurism

Dialogue can make or break the reality in a story. If the characters use unrealistic dialogue then it drags the believability level of the entire story way down.

An important role of dialogue is to help develop your characters into, well, characters. That being said I'll give to you the holy grail of advice regarding dialogue: Every character should have a distinct voice. This really should be a given, but I said it anyway. If the characters all talk the same, use the same words, etc. then you essentially have one character that you call by different names, and talks to him/herself. Not very fun to read. Another note along those line is to try not to put too much of yourself into your character's dialogue (unless the character you're writing is supposed to be like you). Of course, we, the readers, won't know it's like you, but, you, the writer, will be biased as to the believability of a character's word choice if you use the word daily. Get what I mean?

I find dialogue fun because there are so many possibilities. Your characters can say anything, as long as it fits into their realm of reality. Use dialogue to provide back story, move the plot along, or even to add a little comedy after a particularly dramatic scene (Shakespeare, anyone?).

It is also important to remember that body language is, or should be, a big part of fiction dialogue. When people speak they aren't standing stationary; hands are flailing, feet are tapping, eyes are rolling. Not to mention the countless facial expressions. Sometimes whole conversations are had without talking. Get creative,

Or

Observe and recall: Go to a crowded place that's easy for a voyeur to blend in with their subjects like, dare I say it, Starbucks, and observe the way people interact with each other then try and recreate it in your story. Not only will you be doing research, but you'll also be thoroughly entertained. I've heard some pretty crazy things on my voyeur trips.

My point is writing dialogue doesn't have to be a chore. Make it fun. If you don't enjoy every aspect of writing then you probably shouldn't be a writer.

Thank you and have a nice day!