How to Give Your Character a Unique Voice Using Dialogue.

By Tierre-Lee Curtis

Are you finding it hard to distinguish between characters in your story without name-dropping every other sentence? Well, I have some tips for you!

Each character you create, whether they’re a sibling, love interest, or nemesis, should have dialogue that reflects their uniqueness. Each one has a backstory, heart, and traits that make them individual. 
A character’s voice should naturally reflect the components that make them who they are. Age, heritage, environment, relationship dynamics, emotion, intention, and history all play into this. Picture each sentence, every quirk, quip, or phrase. This will help you slowly carve out who your character is.

You can use this basic sentence structure to recalibrate the character’s voice in your mind (don’t be afraid to change it as little or as much as you like to fit their voice):

[Greeting], my name is ______. My dream is __________________.
I’m speaking with _______ because ____________________________.

Let’s say I’m writing a  middle-aged man from a non-descript rural town in Australia who is a happy-go-lucky person, the sentence would look something like this;

G’day love, my name’s Colin, but my mates call me Cozz. I dream of catching a barra big enough to feed the missus and me for a week and cracking into the port we’ve been saving for a rainy day. I’m having a yarn with Bilbo, my dog, 'cause he’s the best company a man can ask for this side of the billabong.

Imagining each character saying their version of this to you will help identify their unique speech pattern, emotional and environmental context, and most importantly, their intention.

Another helpful tip is to imagine what the characters did before this moment and what they plan to do after. Of course, the latter will change throughout the story, but it’s important to remember that the characters cannot read each other's minds or intentions. Where the reader may have a deeper understanding of a character’s objectives and emotions, the characters themselves only know what is shown in the presence of one another. That doesn’t negate the individual’s history, which all contributes to the interpretation and response of the events and exchanges, but it is important to keep in mind to maintain natural dialogue.

Genuine fluidity in emotion and reaction is a key detail in character development through dialogue. It also helps reinforce the foundation of a unique character voice. Keeping a grounded understanding of who the character is and the purpose (or intention) for their actions, will help guide you in maintaining a unique and authentic voice through dialogue.