Dialogue writing Format and example

 Dialogue Writing

 

Format

1. Quotation Marks

    In English, dialogue is enclosed in double quotation marks (`" "`).  

   Example: "Hello, how are you?"

2. New Speaker, New Line

   - Every time a new character speaks, start a new line.  

   - Example:  

     "Hi, how are you?" said John.  

     "I'm good, thanks!" replied Mary.

3. Punctuation

   - Commas, periods, exclamation marks, or question marks are placed inside the quotation marks.  

   - Example: "What are you doing?" she asked.

4. Dialogue Tags 

   - Use dialogue tags (e.g., "he said," "she replied") to identify the speaker.  

   - Example: "I love this movie," he said.

5. Capitalization

   - The first word of a dialogue sentence is always capitalized.  

   - Example: "Let's go to the park."

6. Indentation

   - In scripts or plays, dialogue is often indented or centered, depending on the format.

7. Action Beats  

   - Actions or descriptions can be included alongside dialogue to show what the character is doing.  

   - Example: "I can't believe it!" She slammed the door shut.

Dialogue Example

Here’s an example of a dialogue between two characters:

Scene: A park bench. Two friends, Emma and Jake, are sitting together.

Emma : (looking at the sky) "It’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it?"  

Jake :  (nodding) "Yeah, the weather’s perfect. I’m glad we decided to come here."  

Emma: (sighs) "I needed this. Work has been so stressful lately."  

Jake: "I get it. Sometimes you just need to step away and breathe."  

Emma :  (smiling) "Exactly. Thanks for suggesting this, Jake."  

Jake : "Anytime. That’s what friends are for, right?"