Dialogue examples

Using dialogue in creative nonfiction (essays and memoirs) can be a powerful way to bring the reader into the scene. Here are some tips on how to use dialogue effectively in essays and nonfiction.

Tip #1: Write Dialogue Sparingly and Concisely

Dialogue is a major component of fiction.

But in personal essays and other creative nonfiction, dialogue should be used sparingly and only when it adds value.

How to write dialogue between two characters

Scenes tend to be much shorter in essays, and there are fewer of them. Dialogue should only be used for exciting situations—funny, sharp conflict, or a vivid display of interesting character traits.

Make sure your essay’s dialogue is concise and to the point.

Don't include long, rambling conversations that don't add value to the essay. Many personal essays don’t even have dialogue—but might offer a few one-off lines of dialogue as examples of things people might say.

Here’s an example from THIS Melissa Febos essay:

One day at lunch, after I polished off a soggy square of cafeteria pizza, the girl next to me stared with bald attention.

“W

how to put dialogue in an essay

how to include dialogue in an essay