Story dialogue is not the same as real-life dialogue. It's shaped with intention, word by word.

Even so, we should pay attention to the nuances and the rhythm of real-life conversations.

We want to be looking for the ways people don’t listen to one another. The ways we dance around hard truths.

In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore how to bring tension into your dialogue by focusing on the thing your characters don't want to say or hear.

We'll explore:

Our natural urge to evade difficult conversations
An example of dialogue with no tension
An example of dialogue with tension

and a writing exercise to drive it all home

Also listen to:
Episode 52: The Number One Mistake Writers Make With Dialogue

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#53: How to Write Dialogue That Sounds Natural