tech-dialogue

name	tech-dialogue
description	Improve dialogue to feel natural and character-specific (subtext, voice, tension, beats). Use when drafting/revising dialogue-heavy scenes or when dialogue sounds generic/AI-like.

tech-dialogue

Use when (proactive triggers)

Call this skill without being asked when you observe any of the following:

• Dialogue feels generic/AI-like (same cadence for every speaker, over-explains, no subtext).
• The scene is dialogue-heavy but has low tension or no directional pressure.
• A character’s voice is drifting (OOC risk).

Quick start (runbook)

1. Diagnose (2 minutes): name the failure mode(s) + cite 1–2 concrete lines as evidence.
2. Lock voice (if needed): fill a voice sheet from assets/templates/voice-sheet.md (or update existing character voice in spec/characters/*).
3. Build pressure: write a dialogue intent map using assets/templates/dialogue-intents.md.
4. Apply “surgical” edits: change only the dialogue lines and nearby beats that carry the problem.
5. Self-check with references/CHECKLIST.md, then optionally suggest a gate for verification.

Inputs (what to read)

• The target dialogue passage (chapter/scene).
• Relevant canon constraints when available:
  • character boundaries/voice: spec/characters/*
  • style contract: spec/style/*
  • narrative/POV rules (no cheating exposition): spec/narrative/*

Purpose

This skill helps produce dialogue that is:

• character-specific (voice differences are audible)
• tense (conflict/pressure exists even in “polite” scenes)
• economical (no info-dump “as you know” speech)

Diagnose (common failure modes)

• Same-voice drift: everyone has similar sentence length, vocabulary, politeness level.
• Info dump: characters say things only the reader needs, not what they would say.
• Zero pressure: lines don’t negotiate anything; no leverage, no refusal, no consequence.
• No embodiment: endless back-and-forth with no beats, no space, no physicality.
• Too explicit: motives and feelings are stated instead of implied via subtext.

Surgical edit menu (prefer these over rewriting)

Pick a few actions and apply locally:

• Replace explanation lines with subtext questions or deflections.
• Add one refusal (“I won’t talk about that”) to create a boundary.
• Add one leverage beat (object, timer, third party listening, physical constraint).
• Introduce a micro-turn (new info, misunderstanding, concession, threat, promise).
• Move necessary exposition out of dialogue into action/setting/afterthought.
• Vary turns: interruption, silence, overlap, unfinished sentence, changed subject.

Output expectations

• The revised dialogue passage (minimal, targeted edits).
• Optional artifacts (only if useful):
  • A voice sheet: assets/templates/voice-sheet.md
  • A dialogue intent map: assets/templates/dialogue-intents.md

Output

• Revised dialogue text in the relevant draft/chapter.
• Optional: a short “dialogue intent map” using assets/templates/dialogue-intents.md.

Applying changes (editing discipline)

• Prefer localized edits (change the dialogue lines and nearby beats) instead of rewriting entire chapters.
• When modifying project files, use project__apply_edits so the user can review small, controlled diffs.

References

• Revision checklist: references/CHECKLIST.md
• Common pitfalls + fixes: references/PITFALLS.md
• Deep techniques (ported reference): references/TECHNIQUES.md

Self-check

• Can you identify who is speaking without tags?
• Is there subtext (stakes) instead of pure information transfer?
• Do lines create pressure or change something (not just filler)?

Optional: verification gate

If this change is important (voice continuity risk, canon constraints, or large edits), suggest running a verifier gate:

• gates/gate-chapter (for prose quality + continuity)
• gates/gate-consistency (for cross-file voice/canon consistency)