Giving Your Characters a Voice

As writers, we have a distinct picture in our imaginations of the story we want to share with our readers, and the only way to bring it to life is through description and dialogue. There is a deep satisfaction in building a setting piece by piece, but description alone can only take a scene so far.

Think, for instance, about the slow-burn tension of a romance novel. It’s always fun to describe the swirl of sensations our heroine feels the moment the hero steps into her space, carrying the familiar scent of his shaving soap. The air around her seems to thicken, leaving her lightheaded. When he leans closer, his breath grazes her cheek, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. A slow smile curves across his face at her reaction, his eyes darkening as they flick from her gaze down to her mouth in an unspoken invitation that pulls the entirety of her focus to his. Her heart begins to pound in a frantic rhythm, thrumming in her chest. He descends toward her, agonizingly slow, closing the remaining distance between them. Our heroine lifts her head, her whole body alive with anticipation, suspended in the electric stillness before his lips touch hers for the first time—until the door flies open and the butler barges in.

Classic.

Building that kind of atmosphere is an absolute blast. But what happens next? What do the characters say to one another after a near-miss like that?

This is exactly why crafting dialogue is my favorite part of the process. Dialogue is where a character’s personality truly comes alive—not just in what they say, but how they say it. It’s the distinct phrasing, the specific rhythm, and the quirks that make a voice instantly recognizable. Getting those nuances right is one of the most enjoyable challenges of writing, and honestly, one of the most vital.

Think of Adam in the beloved novel Seeking Persephone and his iconic, grumbled, “Ridiculous.” That single word is forever tied to his character. Or take the absurd Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, praising the “exemplary vegetable” and the perfectly boiled potatoes. Or Samwise Gamgee fiercely reminding us that you can “boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.” These lines stick with us not just because they’re clever, but because they fit the characters so seamlessly that we cannot imagine anyone else uttering them.

That is the true power of dialogue. Writers spend hours agonizing over a single line because we understand the responsibility. Dialogue is how we make them feel real to our readers, exactly as we imagine them in our own minds. We only have so many words to convey our vision and every single one counts.