character-voice

name	character-voice
description	Writing technique guide for crafting authentic, distinct character dialogue and voice. Activate when the user asks about: dialogue writing, "how does [character] speak", "character voice", "make dialogue more natural", "dialogue feels stiff", "write a conversation between X and Y", "how to show character through speech", "subtext in dialogue", "argument scene", "romantic scene dialogue", or any request to write or review a dialogue/conversation scene. Also activate when reviewing story exports and dialogue feels generic or characters sound the same. Provides voice profiling, subtext techniques, and scene-specific dialogue patterns — both in Thai and English.
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Character Voice — Dialogue Writing Guide

เทคนิคการเขียนบทสนทนาที่เป็นธรรมชาติ สำหรับ Visual Story Planner (Dialogue writing techniques for natural, character-distinct conversation)

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Voice Sheet (ตาราง "เสียง" ตัวละคร)

Before writing dialogue, define each character's voice profile:

Field	Description	Example
Sentence length	Short/Medium/Long	Luke: short, punchy
Vocabulary	Formal / Casual / Slang	Obi-Wan: formal, archaic
Speech habits	Filler words, catchphrases	"You know what I mean?"
Avoids saying	Topics they deflect	Villain never admits fear
Lies via	Omission / Misdirection / Silence

Quick test: Cover character names — can you tell who's speaking? If not, voices are too similar.

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Core Principles

1. Subtext Over Directness

❌ On-the-nose:

"ฉันโกรธคุณนะ เพราะคุณโกหกฉัน"

✅ Subtext:

"การประชุมเมื่อคืนเป็นยังไงบ้าง?"
"ก็ดี"
"ค่ะ ฉันเชื่ออย่างนั้น"

Subtext layers:

1. Surface: literal meaning
2. Emotional: what they're actually feeling
3. Relational: power/intimacy shift
4. Thematic: story-level meaning

2. Interruptions & Overlap

Use em-dash (—) for interruptions:

"ฟังนะ ฉันรู้ว่าคุณ—"
"คุณไม่รู้อะไรเลยเกี่ยวกับฉัน"

When to interrupt:

• Emotional peaks (anger, panic)
• Power struggles
• Character avoiding a truth

3. Action Beats (Not Just Talking Heads)

Every 3–4 lines of dialogue, add a physical beat:

"มันไม่ใช่สิ่งที่ฉันต้องการ" หล่อนดันแก้วออก
เขาเดินไปมาในห้อง "งั้นคุณต้องการอะไร?"
"ฉัน—" มือของหล่อนกำขอบโต๊ะแน่น "ไม่รู้"

4. Silence as Dialogue

"คุณรักฉันไหม?"
เขาก้มลงมองรองเท้า

Silence communicates what words cannot.

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Scene-Specific Patterns

Conflict/Argument Scene

• Short exchanges, rapid back-and-forth
• Interrupt frequently
• Words escalate in sharpness
• One character says something they regret

Romantic/Intimate Scene

• Incomplete sentences (overwhelmed by emotion)
• Physical proximity described
• Deep subtext — what they don't say matters most
• Vulnerability exposed

Thriller/Tension Scene

• Whispers or clipped speech
• External sounds interrupt
• Sentences trail off
• Silence stretches

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Info-dump dialogue	Characters only say what they'd naturally say
All voices sound the same	Use Voice Sheet per character
Perfect grammar in speech	Use contractions, fragments, pauses
Narrating via dialogue	Use action/description for movement
No purpose	Every exchange must reveal character OR advance plot

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Dialogue Checklist

Before finalizing any dialogue scene:

• Each character sounds distinct (cover-name test)
• Subtext present — not just surface meaning
• Action beats every 3–4 lines
• Serves at least one purpose: reveal / advance / conflict / atmosphere
• Read aloud — does it flow naturally?
• Interrupt/silence used where appropriate
• No info-dump

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Writing Exercise

For any character in the StoryGraph, generate a sample dialogue scene by:

1. Reading their traits, motivations, and arc.start
2. Defining their Voice Sheet
3. Writing a 6–8 line exchange with a contrasting character
4. Applying subtext + at least one action beat