Bad dialogue is characters talking at each other, exchanging information the writer needs us to know.

Good dialogue is characters doing things to each other with words.

Dialogue isn’t just communication—it’s action. Every line should move something forward: plot, character dynamics, tension, understanding, or emotion.

If you can cut a line of dialogue without losing anything, it shouldn’t be there.

The “Dialogue as Action” Principle

Traditional writing advice separates:

  • Action = physical events (fights, chases, building things)
  • Dialogue = characters talking (conveying information, feelings)

This is wrong.

Dialogue IS action. Characters use words to:

  • Attack (“You’ve always been weak”)
  • Defend (“That’s not what happened”)
  • Seduce (“You look incredible tonight”)
  • Manipulate (“You’re the only one I can trust with this”)
  • Conceal (“I’m fine, really”)
  • Reveal (“I can’t keep lying to you”)

Every line is a move in a larger chess game.

What Makes Dialogue Active?

Active Dialogue:

  • Changes the situation
  • Reveals character through behavior (not exposition)
  • Creates or escalates conflict
  • Advances the plot
  • Shifts power dynamics
  • Builds or releases tension

Passive Dialogue:

  • Repeats information we already know
  • Explains character instead of showing them
  • Fills time without changing anything
  • Avoids conflict when conflict is needed
  • States the obvious

Example: Passive vs Active

PASSIVE:

JOHN: I'm going to the store.
MARY: Okay, be careful.
JOHN: I will.

Nothing happens. The scene could be cut entirely and replaced with: “John went to the store.”

ACTIVE:

JOHN: I'm going out.
MARY: You mean you're going to see her.
JOHN: I'm going to the store.
MARY: Funny how the store is always in her neighborhood.

What changed:

  • Mary challenges John (action: confrontation)
  • John becomes defensive (action: concealment)
  • Mary doesn’t believe him (action: accusation)
  • Tension escalates
  • We learn about a relationship problem without anyone saying “our relationship has problems”

This dialogue did something.

The Five Functions of Action-Dialogue

Every line should accomplish at least one (ideally multiple) of these:

1. Advance the Plot

Dialogue moves the story forward—characters make decisions, share information that creates consequences, commit to actions.

Example from The Social Network:

MARK: "I'm going to sue them."
EDUARDO: "For what?"
MARK: "For everything."

What it does: Establishes the lawsuit that drives the film’s structure. It’s a plot domino falling.

Weak version: Characters discussing whether to sue for five minutes without deciding anything. Lots of words, no movement.

2. Reveal Character

Dialogue should show character through behavior—how they speak, what they choose to say, how they respond under pressure.

Example from Jaws:

QUINT: "Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women."

What it reveals: Quint’s crudeness, his working-class background, his discomfort with the educated men around him, his way of breaking tension through inappropriate humor.

One line does intense characterization work.

Weak version: “Quint was a crude, working-class shark hunter who used humor to cope with tension.” (Telling, not showing)

3. Create or Escalate Conflict

Characters want different things. Good dialogue makes those competing desires collide.

Example from A Few Good Men:

KAFFEE: "I want the truth!"
JESSUP: "You can't handle the truth!"

What it does: Two men fighting for dominance. Kaffee demands, Jessup attacks. Neither backs down. The line is famous because it’s pure conflict—crystallized into one verbal blow.

Weak version: Jessup just answering the question directly. No collision, no electricity.

4. Change Relationships

Power shifts. Alliances form or break. Trust is built or shattered. Dialogue rewrites who has leverage.

Example from The Godfather:

DON CORLEONE: "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."

What it does: Establishes that Don Corleone always gets what he wants. Changes the listener’s relationship to him—from potential partner to person under his control.

One line redefines the power dynamic.

5. Build or Release Tension

Dialogue can tighten the screws or provide cathartic release.

Example from Inglourious Basterds (opening scene):

LANDA: "You're sheltering enemies of the state, are you not?"
[Long pause]
PERRIER: "No."

What it does: The pause is agonizing. The denial rings false. We know Landa knows. The tension becomes unbearable.

The dialogue tortures us—and that’s the action it performs.

How to Make Every Line Active

Test 1: The Deletion Test

Remove the line. What’s lost?

  • Nothing important? → Cut it
  • Plot information? → Keep it (but make sure someone wants/doesn’t want to share it)
  • Character revelation? → Keep it (but make sure it’s shown, not told)
  • Tension? → Keep it
  • A shift in dynamics? → Keep it

If you can summarize the dialogue as stage direction (“They argue about money”), the dialogue isn’t doing enough work.

Test 2: The Intention Test

What does the speaking character WANT in this moment?

Every line should be an attempt to get something:

  • Information (“Where were you last night?”)
  • Compliance (“You need to leave”)
  • Reassurance (“Tell me you still love me”)
  • Distance (“I don’t want to talk about this”)
  • Dominance (“You work for me. Don’t forget it.”)

If the character has no goal, the dialogue will be aimless.

Test 3: The Response Test

Does the line force a response?

Active dialogue creates pressure. The other character must react.

Active:

"You slept with my brother."

The accused must respond—deny, confess, deflect, attack. Silence is even a meaningful choice.

Passive:

"Nice weather today."

Can be ignored without consequence (unless it’s coded subtext, like small talk avoiding something important).

Test 4: The Obstacle Test

Is someone trying to avoid saying/hearing this?

The best dialogue involves resistance. One person wants to say something; the other doesn’t want to hear it. Or one asks; the other evades.

Example from Breaking Bad:

SKYLER: "Walt, is there something you need to tell me?"
WALT: "Like what?"
SKYLER: "You tell me."

Skyler is trying to extract truth. Walt is blocking. Every line is a move in that battle.

If both characters want the same thing (both trying to share information willingly), there’s no friction—and probably no dramatic interest.

Dialogue as Physical Action: The Fight Scene

Dialogue can be structured exactly like a physical fight:

Setup: Establishing stakes

What are they really fighting about?

Jab: Small provocations

Testing defenses, probing for weakness

Block: Defensive moves

Deflection, denial, subject change

Counterpunch: Escalation

Hitting back harder

Low Blow: Going for maximum damage

The cruelest thing that can be said

Knockout or Draw: Resolution

Someone wins, someone loses, or they reach stalemate

Example Analysis: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (George and Martha’s verbal warfare)

The entire play is structured as extended fight rounds. Every line is an attack, defense, or feint. The words ARE the violence.

Common Dialogue Action Mistakes

Mistake 1: Exposition Disguised as Conversation

Bad:

"As you know, your brother died in the war five years ago, and you've been running the family business ever since."

Why it fails: No one talks like this. Both characters already know this information. The writer is using dialogue to tell the audience, not to let characters act.

Fix: Find a reason someone needs to bring this up now:

"You've been running this place into the ground ever since Tom died."
"Don't you dare bring him into this."

Now the past is a weapon in a present conflict. The dialogue is doing something (attacking) rather than just informing.

Mistake 2: Dialogue That Just Agrees

Bad:

A: "We should leave."
B: "Yes, good idea."
A: "Let's go."
B: "Okay."

Why it fails: No conflict = no interest. Everyone wants the same thing and says so directly.

Fix: Create friction:

A: "We need to leave. Now."
B: "You're overreacting."
A: "I'm trying to save your life."
B: "By running away. Again."

Even if they ultimately agree to leave, the path there involves conflict about fear, courage, and past behavior.

Mistake 3: Dialogue That Just Chats

Bad:

"How was your day?"
"Fine. Yours?"
"Good. Traffic was bad."
"Yeah, I noticed."

Why it fails: Small talk without subtext or function. Nothing happening beneath the surface.

Fix: Either:

  1. Cut it entirely (start the scene later, when something happens)
  2. Add subtext (see Subtext: What Characters Really Mean)
  3. Make it reveal character (one person is unusually chatty/silent—why?)

Mistake 4: Dialogue That Repeats

Bad:

A: "He's lying."
B: "How do you know?"
A: "Because he's not telling the truth."

Why it fails: Line 3 is just line 1 rephrased. No new information or escalation.

Fix: Either answer the question or deepen the conflict:

A: "He's lying."
B: "How do you know?"
A: "Because I know what he looks like when he's scared."

Now we learn something new (A knows this person well, can read their fear).

Advanced Technique: Simultaneous Actions

The best dialogue does multiple things at once.

Example from Casablanca:

ILSA: "Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake."
SAM: "I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa."
ILSA: "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'"

What this simultaneously does:

  • Advances plot: The song will bring Rick, creating the confrontation
  • Reveals character: Ilsa is nostalgic but also manipulative (ignoring Sam’s discomfort)
  • Builds tension: We know this will cause problems
  • Establishes relationship: Sam is loyal to Rick and trying to protect him
  • Uses subtext: “For old times’ sake” is loaded—she’s not asking for a song, she’s summoning a past relationship

One exchange accomplishes five functions.

Dialogue as Action Across Genres

Thrillers/Mysteries: Dialogue as Investigation

Every conversation is interrogation—extracting or concealing information.

Example: Knives Out Benoit Blanc’s conversations aren’t casual—every question is strategic, designed to trap or reveal.

Romance: Dialogue as Seduction/Push-Pull

Characters use words to attract, test, create distance, or bridge it.

Example: Any Nora Ephron film The witty banter isn’t just fun—it’s how characters test compatibility and build intimacy.

Horror: Dialogue as Denial

Characters use words to rationalize the irrational, refuse to see danger, or break tension before it snaps.

Example: The Thing Dialogue is used to accuse, defend, and create paranoia—who’s still human?

Comedy: Dialogue as Status Game

Characters jockey for superiority, make bids for laughs/attention, deflate pretension.

Example: The Thick of It / Veep Every line is an attempt to humiliate or avoid humiliation.

The Silence is Also Action

Not speaking is an action.

  • Refusing to answer a question
  • Withholding information
  • Choosing not to defend yourself
  • The pause before responding

These are all active choices that do something.

(See Silence, Interruption, and Overlap for more on this)

Practical Exercise: Activate Your Dialogue

Take a scene with passive dialogue and make it active:

Passive version:

A: "I heard you got promoted."
B: "Yes, I did."
A: "Congratulations."
B: "Thank you."

Ask:

  • What does A really feel about B’s promotion?
  • What does B want from A?
  • What’s their history?

Active version (A is jealous, B is rubbing it in):

A: "So. Vice President."
B: "I know, right? I still can't believe it."
A: "I can. You've always been good at... positioning yourself."
B: "Is that what we're calling hard work now?"

Now the dialogue is:

  • Creating conflict (jealousy vs. defensiveness)
  • Revealing character (A: bitter, B: triumphant and needling)
  • Changing their relationship (resentment now open)

Why This Matters

Stories are built from change.

  • Character in one state → experiences events → ends in different state
  • Relationship in one condition → through conflict → transforms
  • Situation with one status quo → through action → reaches new equilibrium

If your dialogue isn’t changing anything, it’s not contributing to story.

It’s decorative at best, padding at worst.

Action-dialogue ensures every scene moves.

The Uncomfortable Efficiency

“But real people have small talk! Real conversations meander!”

True. But fiction is not real life—it’s the illusion of real life, carefully curated.

Real conversations include:

  • Verbal filler (“um,” “like,” “you know”)
  • Tangents that go nowhere
  • Repetition
  • Misunderstandings that don’t matter
  • Long pauses with no purpose

Fiction includes these only when they serve a purpose:

  • Filler can show nervousness (serves character revelation)
  • Tangents can be avoidance (serves subtext)
  • Repetition can be emphasis or obsession (serves psychology)
  • Misunderstanding can be intentional or meaningful (serves conflict)
  • Pauses can be loaded with emotion (serves tension)

The rule: If a conversational element isn’t doing work, it’s a self-indulgence that slows your story.

Readers forgive you for many things. Boring them is not one of them.

The Dialogue Action Checklist

Before finalizing a dialogue scene, ask:

  • Can I identify what each character WANTS in this exchange?
  • Does at least one character face resistance (internal or from the other)?
  • Does this conversation change something (information, relationship, emotion, decision)?
  • Am I showing character through how they speak, not telling through exposition?
  • Could I cut any lines without losing meaning?
  • Is there subtext, or is everything stated directly?
  • Does the dialogue create, escalate, or resolve conflict?
  • Would removing this scene affect the story?

If you’re answering “no” to most of these, the dialogue needs revision.

The Deepest Layer: Thematic Action

Beyond plot and character, dialogue can also do thematic work.

Example: 12 Angry Men Surface: Men arguing about a verdict Deeper: Every argument is about justice, prejudice, certainty, and responsibility

The dialogue is enacting the theme in real-time.

When characters debate reasonable doubt, they’re not just deciding a case—they’re demonstrating how bias, rushed judgment, and social pressure corrupt justice.

The conversation IS the theme in action.

Why This is Hard

Making dialogue active requires:

  1. Knowing your characters deeply: Can’t make them pursue goals if you don’t know what they want

  2. Understanding scene purpose: Every scene needs a reason to exist

  3. Creating obstacles: Conflict doesn’t happen by accident—you must engineer resistance

  4. Cutting ruthlessly: Most first-draft dialogue is too long; action-dialogue requires killing darlings

  5. Trusting your reader: Active dialogue often leaves things unsaid, requiring audience inference

It’s much easier to write passive dialogue where characters just explain things to each other.

But easy dialogue is almost always bad dialogue.

The Reward

When you nail it—when every line does multiple jobs, when the dialogue crackles with intention and subtext, when characters use words as weapons and shields and seductions—the effect is electric.

Readers can’t skim it. Every line matters.

Actors love performing it. They have something to do, not just say.

The story moves. No sagging middle, no boring exchanges.

Your characters feel real. Because real people use language strategically, whether consciously or not.

The Bottom Line

If dialogue is just characters sharing information, you’re using 10% of its power.

If dialogue is characters doing things to each other—pursuing goals, hiding truths, attacking vulnerabilities, building alliances, shifting dynamics—you’re using its full potential.

Every line is an action.

Every exchange is a battle or a dance.

Every conversation changes something.

That’s when dialogue stops being a break from the action and becomes the action itself.

Further Reading in This Series

Next in the series: The “No” Game in Dialogue - why characters who never directly agree create the most dynamic conversations.