1. Ways to Give Your Character a Life
And Other Tips

2. Dashes and Ellipses in Dialogue
Helps it sound like real conversation
Dashes indicate interruption:
“Hey, did you see that - ?”
“Yes, it was awesome!”
Ellipses (…) indicate trailing off in thought / zoning out / pausing / searching for words
“It’s just that I I’ve never told anyone this before.”

3. Internal Dialogue
Before your characters do anything big, they need to be thinking about it!
Example 1: I ran for the stairs, thinking that it was the shortest way to the exit.  Sure enough, I popped up on the roof.  It was really high up.  I decided to jump anyway, and I swung my legs over the edge of the roof, and then took a leap.  I landed, BOOM, and rolled like I had been trained to do.

4. Internal Dialogue
Example 2: I ran for the stairs, thinking that it was the shortest way to the exit.  I knew that I had to get out, and fast.  If they caught me, they’d take me back to the home base, where it could mean torture.  I wasn’t prepared for that, and the thought made my heart pound and sweat come out on my forehead.  I popped up on the roof.  It was really high, and I had to take a deep breath before I looked over the side.  I knew I had to do it, I really didn’t have a choice, so I swung my legs over the edge of the roof, prayed that I wouldn’t break a leg, and took a leap.

5. Internal Dialogue Which one isn’t “better” but more memorable?
Why don’t we use internal dialogue for everything?
Example: In front of me was a box for Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, and Cheerios. I knew I wanted cereal, but which one? I loved Cheerios on a normal day, but today I felt like some extra sugar. I thought briefly about the Rice Krispies, and dismissed them as too bland.

6. Ways to Give Your Character a Life
Where does internal dialogue come from?
Your personal reactions / thoughts when faced with a situation
What you think your character would do or feel
Physical details of their reaction / feelings (heart pounding, sweat, breathing, shaking, body reactions, how people would move in that scenario)
Knowing enough about your character’s private life

7. Learning about your Character
List-making
Personal history of character (Have they met this person before? What did they think of them?)
Rituals / World-building
Relationships with other characters
Steal moments from your own life