609 - Dialogue and Character Voice

John and Craig look at how well-written dialogue is used to give characters a unique voice. Using clips from previous episodes they present a history of dialogue and its evolution, how it informs your actors, and how communicating an idea sometimes comes down to the smallest words our characters say. How can writers use dialogue to make their characters feel distinct and alive? What are tests for character voice? What can memorizing dialogue can teach us about writing it? And how do you keep all your characters active (and your actors happy) in group scenes? In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig stay on-topic to look at the pros and cons of dual dialogue. Links: Scriptnotes Episode 37 – Let’s talk about dialogue Scriptnotes Episode 286 – Script Doctors, Dialogue and Hacks Scriptnotes Episode 371 – Writing Memorable Dialogue Highland 2 Writer Emergency Pack XL Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt, featuring segments originally produced by Stuart Friedel, Godwin Jabangwe, Megan McDonnell and Megana Rao. It is edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at [email protected] You can download the episode here.