Dialogue Spoken and Unspoken

I know a lot of people have questions on the proper way to write dialogue and the best way to do it. Not to mention how to write it properly. Let's talk about that.

You write dialogue well when it sounds like real people talking but reads cleaner than real speech. And you write unspoken speech well when you understand the different tools fiction gives you---thoughts, internal monologue, telepathy, written notes, gestures, texts, and more. Here’s how to handle both with clarity and style.

🎭 How to Write Spoken Dialogue (the “proper” way)

Takeaway: Use quotation marks, keep punctuation tight, and let actions carry emotional weight more than adverbs.

The Core Rules

• Quotation marks---Standard American fiction uses double quotes for spoken words.

• Dialogue tags---“said” and “asked” are your workhorses because they disappear into the reader’s mind.

• Action beats---Replace some tags with actions to show emotion and pacing.

• Paragraph breaks---New speaker = new paragraph, always.

Example (clean, professional fiction style)

“I didn’t steal your sandwich,” Maya said.

Jordan raised an eyebrow. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Fine,” she muttered. “It looked lonely.”

Notice:

• Only the spoken words are inside quotes.

• Tags are simple.

• Actions replace tags to avoid repetition.

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🧠 How to Write Speech That Isn’t Spoken

There are several types of “unspoken speech,” and each has its own formatting conventions. Pick the one that fits your story.

1. Internal thoughts (most common)

Two main styles:

A. Italicized direct thoughts

I really hope he doesn’t notice the blood.

B. Non-italicized indirect thoughts

She hoped he wouldn’t notice the blood.

Direct = inside the character’s head verbatim. Indirect = narrator summarizing the thought.

2. Telepathy

Writers use different conventions, but the most common are:

• Italics with no quotes

• Angle brackets

• Or a stated system (“They spoke mind-to-mind.”)

Example: You’re late again, the voice whispered in her mind.

3. Written communication (notes, texts, letters)

Format it like a block quote or a separate paragraph: The note read: Meet me at the bridge. Come alone.

4. Sign language

Two common approaches:

• Treat it like spoken dialogue with tags clarifying it’s signed

• Or italicize it to distinguish it

  
  

Example: “Are you okay?” she signed.

5. Body language as “speech”

Not literal speech, but conveys meaning: He shrugged, which told her everything.

🧩 Putting It All Together

A scene mixing spoken and unspoken communication might look like this:

“We don’t have much time,” Lena said.

Then why are you stalling? Kai thought.

Lena slipped him a note. They’re listening. Follow my lead.

This keeps each mode distinct and readable.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK!

Write a dialogue scene of two people talking at a wedding about the bride and groom. Are they in favor of the marriage? Does one know something the other doesn't? Should someone speak now or forever hold their peace? Challenge yourself to use both thought dialogue and speech dialogue. Maybe one person uses sign language and the other can understand it but has prefers to talk! Go crazy with this one!

Happy Writing!

Abby Woodland