Using Dialogue Effectively

Using Dialogue Effectively ...

Do you remember hearing "Show. Don't tell!"? What did your English teacher mean?
"Telling" is exactly what it sounds like. You are narrating events by tellingwhat happened a Lego block at a time. Without showing (by using clear, compelling descriptions or by using dialogue) the narrative becomes flat and dull.
Consider this. A friend of your states, "Mike said some nice things about you." Would you reply, "Oh, that's good," or would you ask, immediately, "What did he say?" Dialogue is more interesting and vivid than summarizedconversations. Dialogue also helps signal the more important or dramaticmoments of your narrative.
As with description, it's also possible to overuse dialogue.

Writing Good Dialogue

How do you write good dialogue? Easy. Listen. Listen to how people speak. Eavesdrop a little and try to write down some conversations. What you'll find is that people usually don't speak in long, well-developed sentences. More often, conversations consist of incomplete sentences, stringy descriptions, sudden shifts of thought, and even non-words, e.g., "Uh ..."
If you write dialogue where your speakers use long formal sentences, it's going to sound fake (unless this is the way these characters actually spoke). For example, consider the difference between the dialogue in example one and example two below:
Example one:
"Alex," my mother asked, "what were your activities and pursuits at your middle school today?"
"I had a full day of activities, Mother. My teachers were stimulating, and my English class was especially delightful."
Example two:
"How was school?"
"I don't know. All right, I guess."
It's unlikely that you'd write dialogue as poor as that in example one, but writing good dialogue is a skill. You need a good ear.
Also, in the second example you might substitute, "I dunno." for "I don't know." But be careful. If you use too many phonetic substitutes your characters are going to sound illiterate.

Punctuating Dialogue Correctly

Every time there is a change in speakers, you need to begin a new paragraph; this applies even if it's just two people talking back and forth:
"What did he say?"
"The usual. How much he hates his job. How pressured he feels."
"What's he going to do?"
"He didn't say. Probably nothing. I can't talk to him."
Try to use interrupters like "Mary said," "Bob replied" sparingly. If it's clear who's speaking you don't need to keep identifying the speaker.
Use quotation marks and commas correctly. Here are some examples:
One sentence of dialogue with the speaker "identification" in the middle:
"It's raining outside," Heather complained, "and it's only going to get worse."
Two complete statements with the speaker "identification" in the middle:
"It's raining outside," Heather complained. "How can it rain on my wedding day!"