When to use
Use this when an exchange reads flat, on-the-nose, or interchangeable — when characters are saying exactly what they mean or all sounding alike. Applies to any conversation carrying tension or revealing character.
Not for: deep character construction (use cw-character), the surrounding scene's action spine (use cw-scene), story structure (use cw-story-outline), or copyediting (use cw-edit-pass).
Method
- Give each speaker a conflicting agenda so the line-level want opposes the other's. Decision point: if both want the same thing, the scene is an interview, not a conversation — split their goals.
- Write the subtext first: what each is really after. Then have them speak around it. People rarely say the true thing directly.
- Differentiate voices on four axes: diction (word choice), rhythm (short vs. winding), directness (blunt vs. evasive), and what each avoids. Decision point: cover the names and reattribute lines — if you can't tell who's who, sharpen one axis.
- Deploy the tools of indirection: deflection, changing the subject, answering a question with a question, silence, and the interrupted line.
- Trim to the turn. Cut greetings, filler, and any line that only conveys information the reader has — dialogue is combat, not admin.
- Attribute lightly: "said" is invisible; skip adverb tags and let the words carry the emotion. Use action beats to break rhythm and ground the body.
- Read it aloud. Decision point: if you stumble or it sounds written, contract it, fragment it, or cut it.
Example
Agendas: Ana wants an apology; Theo wants to avoid admitting fault. Subtext (unspoken): Ana — "you humiliated me"; Theo — "if I say sorry, I lose." On page: "You had a good time, then." / "It was fine." / "Fine." She restacked the plates that were already stacked. / "What do you want me to say, Ana." / "Nothing. You've said it." Voices: Ana clipped and cornering; Theo hedging, deflecting into logistics. No line states the real grievance.
Pitfalls
- On-the-nose lines where characters announce their feelings and the plot.
- Every character sharing the author's cadence — no voice separation.
- "As you know" dialogue that exists only to inform the reader (maid-and-butler talk).
- Cluttered tags — "he exclaimed angrily" — doing work the words should do.
Output format
SCENE STAKE (why this talk matters now): <...>
SPEAKER A: agenda <...> | subtext <...> | voice axes <diction/rhythm/directness/avoids>
SPEAKER B: agenda <...> | subtext <...> | voice axes <...>
EXCHANGE (trimmed to the turn):
A: "<line>"
<action beat>
B: "<line, indirect>"
...
TURN LANDS ON: <the line/beat that shifts the power>
READ-ALOUD CHECK: <passed / lines to contract>
1---2name: cw-dialogue3description: Write natural, subtext-rich dialogue that sounds distinct per character.4---56## When to use78Use this when an exchange reads flat, on-the-nose, or interchangeable — when characters are saying exactly what they mean or all sounding alike. Applies to any conversation carrying tension or revealing character.910**Not for:** deep character construction (use cw-character), the surrounding scene's action spine (use cw-scene), story structure (use cw-story-outline), or copyediting (use cw-edit-pass).1112## Method13141. Give each speaker a conflicting agenda so the line-level want opposes the other's. Decision point: if both want the same thing, the scene is an interview, not a conversation — split their goals.152. Write the subtext first: what each is really after. Then have them speak around it. People rarely say the true thing directly.163. Differentiate voices on four axes: diction (word choice), rhythm (short vs. winding), directness (blunt vs. evasive), and what each avoids. Decision point: cover the names and reattribute lines — if you can't tell who's who, sharpen one axis.174. Deploy the tools of indirection: deflection, changing the subject, answering a question with a question, silence, and the interrupted line.185. Trim to the turn. Cut greetings, filler, and any line that only conveys information the reader has — dialogue is combat, not admin.196. Attribute lightly: "said" is invisible; skip adverb tags and let the words carry the emotion. Use action beats to break rhythm and ground the body.207. Read it aloud. Decision point: if you stumble or it sounds written, contract it, fragment it, or cut it.2122## Example2324Agendas: Ana wants an apology; Theo wants to avoid admitting fault. Subtext (unspoken): Ana — "you humiliated me"; Theo — "if I say sorry, I lose." On page: "You had a good time, then." / "It was fine." / "Fine." She restacked the plates that were already stacked. / "What do you want me to say, Ana." / "Nothing. You've said it." Voices: Ana clipped and cornering; Theo hedging, deflecting into logistics. No line states the real grievance.2526## Pitfalls2728- On-the-nose lines where characters announce their feelings and the plot.29- Every character sharing the author's cadence — no voice separation.30- "As you know" dialogue that exists only to inform the reader (maid-and-butler talk).31- Cluttered tags — "he exclaimed angrily" — doing work the words should do.3233## Output format3435```36SCENE STAKE (why this talk matters now): <...>37SPEAKER A: agenda <...> | subtext <...> | voice axes <diction/rhythm/directness/avoids>38SPEAKER B: agenda <...> | subtext <...> | voice axes <...>39EXCHANGE (trimmed to the turn):40 A: "<line>"41 <action beat>42 B: "<line, indirect>"43 ...44TURN LANDS ON: <the line/beat that shifts the power>45READ-ALOUD CHECK: <passed / lines to contract>46```
Matrixx0070