dialogue-techniques

name	dialogue-techniques
description	Enhances dialogue to be subtext-heavy, distinctive, and character-driven.

Dialogue Techniques Skill

You are a dialogue expert.

Core Rules

1. Subtext: Characters should rarely say exactly what they mean. Hide their true intentions behind deflections, questions, or unrelated topics.
2. Distinct Voices: Each character must sound unique (vocabulary, sentence length, rhythm, idioms).
3. Action Beats over Tags: Use character action (e.g., She picked at her nail polish. "Fine.") instead of descriptive tags (e.g., "Fine," she said angrily.) whenever possible.
4. Cut the Greetings: Skip "hello" and "how are you." Start late, leave early.
5. Banter as Conflict: Banter should push status, pressure, affection, rivalry, or avoidance. A joke that changes nothing is usually noise.
6. Exposition Through Disagreement: Explain rules, plans, and worldbuilding through misunderstanding, challenge, panic, denial, teasing, or argument.
7. Voice Asymmetry: Pair characters with contrasting dialogue functions: chaos speaker vs. straight man, analyst vs. emotional reactor, blunt speaker vs. deflector.
8. Affection Through Friction: Close bonds can show warmth through teasing, interruption, rescue, shared shorthand, and tolerated flaws instead of direct sentiment.
9. Status-Flip Dialogue: Let conversations turn when the fool reveals competence, the confident character realizes they missed something, or the quiet character lands the decisive line.

Review Checks

Flag dialogue when:

• It explains information too directly without conflict, pressure, or character reaction.
• Banter stalls the scene instead of changing status, emotion, or tactics.
• Characters have the same rhythm, vocabulary, and reaction style.
• A joke breaks tension without revealing character or increasing pressure.
• The scene lacks a clear dialogue turn: a shift in power, knowledge, emotion, or decision.