Core Principles
Reveal Characters Through Language
Every character should have a unique voice:
-
Word Choice
- Educated vs Casual
- Formal vs Slang
- Technical Terms vs Everyday Language
- Character Background Determines Vocabulary
-
Sentence Structure
- Short/Choppy vs Long/Flowing
- Complete Sentences vs Fragments
- Simple Structures vs Complex Clauses
- Reflects Way of Thinking
-
Speech Patterns
- Interruptions, Pauses, Repetition
- Catchphrases and Filler Words
- Distinctive Phrasing Habits
- Cultural and Regional Characteristics
-
What Is Not Said
- Topics Avoided
- Patterns of Lying
- Moments of Silence
- Unspoken Meanings
Subtext Over Directness
What the Character Means vs What They Say:
❌ Direct Dialogue (Preachy)
"我对你生气，因为你昨晚对我撒谎了关于你去哪里。"
✅ Dialogue Rich in Subtext
"你的商务会议开得怎么样？"
"很好。"
"我确定是这样。"
Why It's Better：
- Engages Readers in Inference
- Creates Tension and Discomfort
- More Realistic (People Avoid Direct Conflict)
- Shows Character Dynamics
Layers of Subtext
Surface Layer: Literal Meaning Emotional Layer: True Feelings Relationship Layer: Power and Intimacy Thematic Layer: Larger Story Meaning
Interruptions and Overlaps
Real Dialogue Is Not Orderly:
Use Interruptions
"听着，我知道你认为——"
"你不知道我在想什么。"
"——但如果你让我说完——"
砰的一声，远处的门关上了。
"算了。" 她转身离开。
When to Use Interruptions：
- When Emotions Run High
- Urgency or Panic
- Power Struggles
- Show Relationship Dynamics
Thoughts Interrupt Speech
"我只是想说——" 他的脸闪过什么。"没事。不重要。"
Effect：
- Show Internal Conflict
- Create Mystery
- Hint at Hidden Information
- Character Self-Censorship
Common Mistakes
❌ Information Dumping
Problem: Characters speak only to convey information to the reader
Bad Example：
"如你所知，鲍勃，我们从 2015 年高中时就是朋友，
当时我们都加入了篮球队，然后我们一起去了斯坦福，
在那里学习工程学..."
Good Example：
"还记得你三年级那个压哨球吗？"
鲍勃笑了。"教练还在谈论它。"
Solution：
- Reveal Information Through Action
- Characters Only Say What They Would Say
- Use Brief Hints Instead of Full Histories
- Let Readers Piece Together the Background
❌ Everyone Sounds the Same
Problem: All characters use the same vocabulary and speech patterns
Solution: Create a "voice chart" for each major character
Voice Chart Example：
| Character | Sentence Length | Vocabulary | Quirks | What to Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Zhang | Medium-long, complex | Formal, medical terminology | Over-explaining | Slang |
| Student Li | Short, fragments | Casual, internet language | "I mean", "you know" | Admitting not knowing |
| Boss Wang | Short, imperative | Businesslike, direct | Rarely wastes words | Explain oneself |
❌ Perfect grammar in casual speech
Too formal：
"我要去商店。你想让我为你买些什么吗？"
Natural：
"去商店。要我带点啥吗？"
Colloquial techniques：
- Contractions (want to → wanna, going to → gonna)
- Omit words (I'm going to the store → Going to the store)
- Sentence fragments
- Verbal fillers (um, uh, like)
❌ Narrating through dialogue
Problem: A character says what should be narration
Bad example：
"我站起来，走向门，打开它。是送货员。"
This isn't dialogue：
- People don't narrate their own actions
- This is the author being lazy
- Use actual narration or showing
Advanced techniques
Dialogue as action
Use speech tags to show character state:
"随便吧。" 她嘀咕道。（被击败）
"随便吧！" 她厉声说道。（生气）
"随便吧..." 她的声音渐渐消失。（不确定）
Beyond "said"：
- Whisper, mutter, growl (volume)
- Snap, scream, yell (intensity)
- Sneer, mock, murmur (tone)
- But don't overuse - "said" is usually enough
Silence as dialogue
Sometimes what isn't said matters:
"你爱我吗？"
他看着自己的鞋子。
The power of silence：
- Say what words cannot
- Create tension
- Show discomfort or pain
- Let readers fill in the gaps
Action breaks up dialogue
Don't let characters become talking heads:
"这不是我想要的。" 她把杯子推开。"不是这样的。"
他在房间里踱步。"那你想要什么？"
"我——" 她的手握紧了桌边。"我不知道。"
Effect：
- Break monotony
- Show body language
- Add visual elements
- Create rhythm changes
Purpose of dialogue
Every piece of dialogue should do at least one of the following:
-
Reveal character
- Show personality
- Reveal motivation
- Show relationships
- Show growth
-
Advance the plot
- Provide important information
- Make decisions
- Create conflict
- Resolve problems
-
Establish atmosphere
- Set the tone
- Create tension
- Provide humor
- Deepen emotion
-
Show conflict
- Opposing goals
- Misunderstanding
- Power struggle
- Hidden agenda
If the dialogue doesn't do these: Delete it
Dialogue for special scenes
Arguments/conflict
Effective techniques：
- Short sentences, quick back-and-forth
- Frequent interruptions
- Words become sharper
- Might say things they regret
- Escalate then cool down (or explode)
"你总是这样。"
"这样怎样？"
"假装——"
"我没有假装任何事！"
"——假装你在乎！"
Romance/intimacy
Effective techniques：
- Soft tone
- Incomplete sentences (emotion)
- Description of physical closeness
- Rich subtext
- Vulnerability
"我只是..." 他的拇指擦过她的下巴。"我不想搞砸这个。"
"那就别搞砸。" 她对他微笑。"简单。"
"简单。" 他笑了。"对。"
Suspense/tension
Effective techniques：
- Whispers or short words
- Incomplete thoughts
- Interruptions (external threats)
- Loading pause
- Unspeakable fear
"你听到那个了吗？"
静默。然后：远处的脚步声。
"我们需要——"
一根树枝折断。两人都僵住了。
Integrate with the Novel-Writer command
In /specify when
- Define unique voices for the main characters
- Identify key dialogue scenes
- Plan what is mainly revealed through dialogue
In /plan during
- Map high-tension dialogue scenes
- Plan information revealed through dialogue
- Design character voice arcs (how they change the way they speak)
In /write when
- Automatically apply character voice consistency
- Check for info-dumping
- Suggest subtext opportunities
- Validate dialogue against character profiles
In /analyze during
- Check character voice consistency
- Identify on-the-nose/preachy dialogue
- Verify that every line of dialogue has a purpose
- Suggest areas that can be strengthened
Dialogue writing checklist
- Each character has a unique voice
- Dialogue advances the plot or reveals character
- Use subtext rather than stating things directly
- Include natural interruptions and overlaps
- Casual speech sounds casual
- No info-dumping
- Action breaks up large blocks of dialogue
- Silence is used where appropriate
- Speech tags are varied but not distracting
- Every line of dialogue has a clear purpose
Revision techniques
Read aloud：
- Does it sound natural?
- Do you stumble over tongue twisters?
- Does the rhythm flow smoothly?
Cover-up method：
- Cover the speech tags
- Can you tell who is speaking from the dialogue?
- If not, the character voices are not distinctive enough
Purpose test：
- What purpose does this dialogue serve?
- What would be lost without it?
- Can it be shorter and sharper?
Remember: Great dialogue feels effortless but is carefully crafted. It reveals more than it says, moves the story forward while staying true, and every word has a purpose. Less is more - cut to the essence.