Fantasy dialogue can be tricky—you’re making characters talk about dragons or spells without sounding weird or cheesy. We’ve all been there, staring at a page, thinking, “No one talks like this!” Even in magical realms, dialogue needs to feel real.
But don’t stress—I get it, and I’ve got you covered. Stick with me, and you’ll learn easy ways to craft natural speech, show character emotions, and share important details without boring readers to death.
In the steps below, you’ll see exactly how to write fantasy dialogue that feels alive and keeps your story moving forward.
Key Takeaways
- Make your characters speak like real people—simple, natural language beats overly fancy dialogue.
- Listen to actual conversations to capture realistic speech patterns, avoiding overly perfect sentences.
- Express hidden emotions, fears, or motivations through your characters’ words rather than just narrating them.
- Include gestures and actions during conversations to visualize scenes and show emotions clearly.
- Slip world-building details into dialogue naturally during conversations when they’re relevant.
- Keep your dialogue short, clear, and engaging—long speeches get boring quickly.
- Every line of dialogue should drive your story forward, deepen characters, or add useful information—cut everything else.
Step 1: Write Dialogue That Sounds Natural When Spoken
If you want to create fantasy dialogue readers believe in, make sure your characters talk like actual human beings. It might seem tempting to sprinkle every conversation with grandiose words and complex expressions, but this usually makes characters sound stiff and artificial.
Instead, use simple, everyday language to give your dialogue a down-to-earth feel. Even though your characters might be knights, wizards, or elves, they still have to get across their personality, desires, and quirks through believable speech.
One simple trick to keep dialogue real is to say it out loud as you write. If you stumble or the words feel awkward in your mouth, your reader will probably notice it too.
Don’t be shy to include interruptions, incomplete thoughts, and short phrases—the natural rhythm of human speech rarely involves perfectly structured sentences.
For example, instead of writing, “Brave sir, thy valor strikes fear into evil hearts,” you could soften it to something like, “You’re brave, you know that? They’ve got every reason to fear you.”
Step 2: Listen to Real Conversations and Mimic Their Patterns
To capture the essence of believable dialogue, spend a bit of time actively listening to people talk in real life. Real conversations don’t usually run perfectly smooth—they’re packed with pauses, repetitions, tangents, and interruptions.
Try jotting down snippets of conversation at a coffee shop or family gathering (discreetly, please!), and then study how people actually talk. Notice phrases they use, how they switch topics mid-sentence or emphasize certain words.
This doesn’t mean your fantasy characters should use slang from modern-day teenagers, but you can adapt natural speech rhythms and patterns into your characters’ dialogue.
If you’re looking for some fun prompts to practice these techniques, you might enjoy trying out these funny writing prompts for kids.
Step 3: Show Character Feelings and Goals in Dialogue
Effective fantasy dialogue isn’t just about exchanging information—it’s a powerful way to show readers your characters’ hopes, emotions, and motivations. This means each line should help clarify who your character is and what they want.
Let’s say you have a character secretly terrified of confronting an enemy. Instead of narrating their fear explicitly, you can indirectly show it through shaky speech and careful word choice: “Do you truly believe we’re… ready to face him now?”
If another character passionately opposes a plan, their dialogue might include more forceful, clipped sentences. For example: “That’s not only risky, it’s pure madness. Count me out.”
Good dialogue often shows what’s below the surface—the unspoken desires, tensions, or vulnerabilities characters don’t openly admit.
Remember, feelings expressed through dialogue often connect more deeply with the reader than lengthy narrative description alone; people naturally respond to authentic conversations. Writing strong dialogue with clear emotions isn’t easy but practicing with realistic fiction writing prompts can help sharpen your skills.
Step 4: Include Character Actions to Add Life to Dialogue
Ever read a chunk of dialogue and struggled to picture the scene in your head? That’s probably because the characters were just talking without doing anything.
People rarely just stand or sit still during conversations—so in your story, your characters shouldn’t either.
Mixing actions in between lines of dialogue helps to break the monotony and keeps readers engaged.
For instance, instead of writing dialogue like this:
“I can’t believe you lied to me!” she screamed.
Add an action to convey emotions even better:
“I can’t believe you lied to me!” she shouted, hurling her goblet across the tavern.
This kind of vivid action instantly tells us more about her feelings and the intensity of the moment.
You can even use small, subtle movements—a nervous character might twist a strand of hair, stare at their boots, or shift from one foot to the other during tense dialogue.
Step 5: Introduce World Details Through Dialogue Naturally
You don’t want to dump a massive history lecture on your readers, but they still need to understand the fantasy world you’ve created.
A clever way to include essential world-building info is to slip it into your characters’ conversations naturally.
Just make sure it actually makes sense for the person talking to mention the detail you’re including, instead of sounding forced or out-of-place.
For example, don’t have a character randomly burst out, “As you know, elves cannot enter the city gates unless invited,” if the listener is already well aware of the fact.
Instead, set up a scenario that requires explanation, like a newer arrival asking why their companion can’t join them within the city walls.
Here’s one way to seamlessly achieve that:
“Wait, you’re not coming in?”
“Can’t. They’re strict around here—elves aren’t allowed through the gates unless specifically invited by the town council.”
This exchange informs your readers about the elf restriction without feeling unnatural or forced.
If you’re still working out the logistics of your fantasy world, trying out some helpful winter writing prompts can spark creative ideas and clarify the details of your setting.
Step 6: Keep Fantasy Dialogue Short and Clear to Maintain Interest
I’m sure you’ve seen dialogue that stretches page after page, leaving you tempted to skim or skip ahead.
In fantasy especially, it’s best to avoid overly long speeches or scenes dominated entirely by dialogue for too long.
Mix dialogue with descriptive narrative, character actions, and shifts in tone to keep readers interested.
Shorter sentences in dialogue have more impact and usually sound more authentic.
And remember, realistic conversations usually involve two or more people taking turns and responding to each other—monologues belong at a podium, not necessarily in your story.
Limit your characters’ spoken lines to the length of a breath; after that, consider inserting action or reaction from another character to keep readers involved.
If you’re writing about complex scenarios, consider building suspense through shorter exchanges filled with meaningful silences and hints.
Step 7: Move the Story Forward With Each Line of Dialogue
The quickest way to turn off your readers (aside from typos!) is dialogue that doesn’t do anything to advance your story.
Every sentence spoken by your characters should do at least one critical thing: show personality, demonstrate emotions, provide key information, introduce problems, or reveal secrets.
If a line of dialogue can be removed without changing anything important, you probably shouldn’t include it.
Good dialogue isn’t filler; it’s fuel propelling your plot forward—whether it’s a heart-to-heart conversation that deepens bonds between comrades or a single, whispered sentence that sparks a rebellion.
One handy trick is to look back through a scene you’ve written, identifying each dialogue exchange and asking yourself, “What does this achieve?”
If the answer’s “Umm, not much,” that’s your cue to trim or rewrite.
For instance, if a character casually mentions gossip about disappearances near the forest, readers immediately sense impending danger, creating suspense and hooking interest.
If you’re struggling with keeping dialogue purposeful, exploring how to publish a graphic novel might offer useful insights into balancing image-driven storytelling with tight, meaningful dialogue.
FAQs
To create realistic dialogue, listen closely to actual conversations and notice natural speech rhythms. Then try to replicate those speech patterns, adding casual phrasing, pauses, or interruptions, helping characters sound like genuine, relatable people.
Show character emotions indirectly through their word choices, tone, and pauses rather than explicitly stating feelings. Include physical gestures or meaningful actions alongside the dialogue to subtly emphasize their emotions and inner motivations.
Introduce setting or background details in dialogue organically through relevant interactions or situations characters encounter. Avoid lengthy explanations, and instead slip details into conversations so readers receive context without overwhelming exposition.
Yes, effective dialogue typically progresses the storyline by introducing new information, revealing character motivations, or escalating conflicts. Limit idle or repetitive conversations that don’t impact the plot, so readers stay engaged and feel story momentum.
