Character Dialogue: A Game of Goals

In all forms of character writing, be it stage plays, screen plays, novels, video games or any other kind of medium where two different characters converse with one another, massive potential exists for fantastic dialogue. The act of putting two characters in the same space and seeing how they react to each other is the heart of good drama. When well-written characters who have their own histories, personalities, attitudes, strengths and weaknesses enter into a conversation with another character with a different background, there lies a great opportunity for a good scene. What makes the scene more powerful is when the characters have their own individual goals for the conversation. This is where we as writers really get to prove that we know our characters inside and out. Here are some things to consider when writing dialogue.