Giving Characters Distinct Voices in Dialogue

Read dialogue so listeners can tell who is speaking and how they feel.

When a story has several speakers, a fluent reader makes each one sound like a person. First, track who is talking: look at dialogue tags ('said Rosa') and new paragraphs, which usually signal a new speaker. Next, use the tag's verb and any description to decide how the line sounds. Compare: '"Fine," she whispered' and '"Fine," she snapped. ' The word is identical, but one is soft and resigned, the other sharp and angry. You do not need silly accents.

Small shifts are enough: a slightly lower pitch for one character, a faster pace for an anxious one, a calm steady voice for a wise one. Also, read the narration around the dialogue in your normal voice, so the listener hears the difference between story and speech. In middle-grade and young adult novels, dialogue often reveals character more than description does, so reading it well deepens your understanding.

• 1Track speakers through tags and new paragraphs
• 2Tag verbs like whispered or snapped tell you how a line sounds
• 3Use small shifts in pitch and pace, not exaggerated accents
• 4Read narration in your own voice to separate it from speech