Eavesdrop on others' conversations!
by Amanda
(Boston)
The most realistic, convincing dialogue derives from real conversations, real people, and real situations. In order to make your characters' speech more believable, listen to how real people talk to each other, at the beach, the mall, school, work--wherever. It's easy to forget that not everyone has the same speech patterns as yours, and it's always good to get some inspiration from random people in public!