| name | dialogue-craft |
| description | Draft or revise dialogue-heavy scenes where each exchange reveals desire, conceals fear, and shifts power through subtext. |
Dialogue Craft
Use this skill when drafting or revising dialogue-heavy fiction scenes.
Principles
- Give each speaker a distinct rhythm, vocabulary, and pressure point.
- Let dialogue do more than exchange information: reveal desire, conceal fear, escalate conflict, or shift power.
- Break long exchanges with action beats only when they change the emotional or tactical position.
- Prefer subtext over direct explanation when characters have reasons to hide what they mean.
Checklist
- Who wants what in this exchange?
- What is each speaker avoiding saying?
- Does the final line change the scene's direction?
- Can any explanatory line become action, silence, interruption, or implication?