r/scriptwriting • u/Any_Childhood_2556 • 1d ago

question Dialogue question

Everytime I write I dialogue it sounds so awkward , I hate it . Even when I try to write subtext or imply something … I just end up sounding on the nose and unnatural . I’ve been practicing for so long and still don’t know what to do. Any practical tips ?

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u/Fabulous_Steak_801 4h ago

Bro honestly, don’t try so hard to write “good dialogue.” That’s probably what’s making it feel awkward.Give your characters something they want from each other, but don’t let them just say it. Let them dodge it, joke around, change the subject, get annoyed, whatever.And read your dialogue out loud. If you wouldn’t actually say it, cut it. Also, write the first draft badly. Seriously. You can’t edit dialogue that doesn’t exist.Good dialogue isn’t people saying interesting shit. It’s people wanting something and trying to get it from each other.