yourstruly9489

[yourstruly9489]

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

[yourstruly9489]

follow forthefuns for more funny stuff

[yourstruly9489]

I’m a cis man sure but i also wanna opt out of the gender binary. None of that shit is my fault or my responsibility and i don’t want any part of it

[yourstruly9489]

a party of adventurers that are all equally convinced that they are in completely different forms of media

[yourstruly9489]

has this been done yet

[yourstruly9489]

Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime, I make memes on company time.

[yourstruly9489]

i love gays

[yourstruly9489]

“oh I’m too old for stuffed animals” skill issue. sorry you can’t appreciate little creatures made to hang out with you, I on the other hand am full of joyous whimsy and therefore vastly superior.

[yourstruly9489]

[yourstruly9489]

Odd one out at the gallery, wake up

[yourstruly9489]

Danny Fenton being a grinch on Christmas is everything to me.

But the episode was a bonkers approach

Which is crazy because typically when one introduces a holiday episode centered on a cynic, they usually go through the process of helping them regain their holiday spirit.

Tragic event, estranged family or just plain dislike. Help to process those feelings, reaching outs, introspections, anything to help see Christmas in a positive light [again]

That, that doesn’t happen here.

And even if that was the route the episode took, it’s pretty obvious Christmas cheer can’t be brought back by nostalgia - ‘cause hey! This poor schmuck has no fond memories of Christmas, everything is overshadowed by his parents stupid arguments on Santa’s fucking existence

Ahem, anyway………

Danny? Danny is punished, although admittedly for something he did that was uncalled for, and he is put in a situation where any love he did have should have gone up in smoke

The fights he gets in only ends up framing him in a bad light, he has no control over the situation and it’s one inconvenience after another

The ghosts’ Christmas truce was probably his one actual moment of reprieve.

Other than that, he is given no actual reason to like Christmas.

But the reason he hates the holiday in the first place? Never addressed, never resolved, his parents stupid needless arguments over the existence of Santa will probably start up again like clockwork the year after

Can’t recall if anyone was actually understanding of that.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he winds up preferring to spend the holiday in the ghost zone

[yourstruly9489]

just saw someone say will wood makes lyrically bland/uninteresting music except for 1 or 2 lyrics that hit hard and. idk dude. hes the only artist that ive consistently needed the lyrics pages up for not because i couldnt hear him like most times i have it up but because i need it to explain to me what the fuck hes talking about, and when i do it hurts bad! hes probably one of the most lyrically layered artists i actively listen to i think youre just calling yourself out as being stupid and blaming it on his music bc your brain wont let you comprehend that youre dumb. or you just havent lived through anything that would warrant it hitting hard but swagever.

[yourstruly9489]

"Would anyone want to read --" Listen, imma stop you right there. Yes. YES, someone would want to read that. You write that weird little fucked up story. Or that domestic little slice of life story. That drabble or that 300k monster.

I promise someone wants to read it.

[yourstruly9489]

Reblog to unleash this cat on your mutuals

[yourstruly9489]

this what a relationship is?

[yourstruly9489]

i like the idea that, if danny ever dyes his hair, he discovers that the color turns opposite in his phantom form :)

[yourstruly9489]

We all know the “Funtimes are the replacement Afton family” theory, and this is not throwing it under the bus, because that one rocks, but for our mutual consideration: why didn’t William make one specifically to represent himself? Aside from the BonBon allegory theory, which most people aren’t fans of, there’s nothing that is a direct stand-in for him. Like, what bunny mascots do we have here? Bonbon and Bonnet? Neither of those line up with any previous things associated with William. So either he’s left out of the lineup for a reason we never got into, or we just Forgor about him for a game.