Dialogue is art form and over-writing can easily ruin a story so it is worth bearing in mind that we can tell a lot about a person in a short snap of conversation. And less is often more.
But we also have to steer the reader a little if it will aid understanding of the story and avoid unnecessary confusion.
For example
“Good morning, Fred,” I said as I walked past.
“What’s good about it?” he grunted and ambled down the street.
Suddenly, with one two line exchange, we can start to build up a picture of Fred:
He is grumpy
He is rude
He is curt
He is pessimistic
He rejects friendship
Or is he? Perhaps this needs more. In fact, he is depressed for a reason, he is ill, something horrible has happened to him that we do not know about, or perhaps he’s perfectly happy but is just like that.
That’s where the writer’s skill come in, needed to guide the reader towards better understanding, perhaps adding in extra dialogue or putting in some body language to make it clearer, while not overdoing it. It’s all about thinking like a reader.
John Dean
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