How can you make your dialogue more engaging for computer graphics?

1 Know your audience

Before you write any dialogue, you need to know who you are writing for. What is the genre, tone, and style of your project? Who are your target audience, and what are their expectations and preferences? How much background information and exposition do they need? How do they respond to humor, sarcasm, and slang? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your dialogue to suit their needs and interests, and avoid confusing or alienating them.

2 Know your characters

Another key factor in writing engaging dialogue is knowing your characters. You need to give them distinct voices, personalities, and goals. How do they speak, and what do they say? What are their motivations, conflicts, and relationships? How do they react to different situations and emotions? How do they change and grow throughout the story? Knowing your characters will help you create realistic, consistent, and believable dialogue that reveals their character and drives the action.

3 Know your story

Your dialogue should also serve your story. It should move the plot forward, create suspense, and reveal information. It should not be filler, irrelevant, or redundant. You need to know the structure, theme, and message of your story, and how each dialogue scene fits into it. What is the purpose and goal of each dialogue scene? What is the conflict and resolution? How does it affect the characters and the audience? Knowing your story will help you write dialogue that is relevant, meaningful, and impactful.

4 Show, don't tell

One of the most common advice for writing dialogue is to show, don't tell. This means that you should use dialogue to imply, suggest, or demonstrate something, rather than state it directly. For example, instead of telling the audience that a character is angry, you can show it through their tone, word choice, or body language. Showing, rather than telling, will make your dialogue more subtle, nuanced, and engaging.

5 Use subtext

Subtext is what lies beneath the surface of the dialogue. It is what the characters mean, but do not say. It is the hidden agenda, the ulterior motive, the secret emotion. Subtext can add depth, complexity, and intrigue to your dialogue. It can create tension, irony, and humor. It can also reveal the character's personality, motivation, and relationship. To use subtext, you need to think about what your characters want, what they fear, and what they hide. Then, you need to find ways to express it indirectly, through hints, clues, or contradictions.

6 Edit and test

Finally, you need to edit and test your dialogue. Editing involves revising, rewriting, and polishing your dialogue until it is clear, concise, and effective. You need to check for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors. You also need to cut out any unnecessary, boring, or repetitive words or phrases. Testing involves reading, listening, or acting out your dialogue, either by yourself or with others. You need to check for flow, rhythm, and naturalness. You also need to get feedback from your audience, peers, or experts, and see how they react to your dialogue.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?