Fixing Dialogue: 25 Common Mistakes in Fiction (With Examples)
- Mistake #1–5: Punctuation errors — comma vs. period, em dash usage, ellipsis rules
- Mistake #6–10: Attribution problems — redundant tags, adverb overuse, missing beats
- Mistake #11–15: Character voice — all characters sounding the same, unnatural exposition in dialogue
- Mistake #16–20: Pacing issues — on-the-nose dialogue, excessive pleasantries, talking heads
- Mistake #21–25: Advanced problems — dialect spelling, accent notation, inner monologue punctuation
- Each mistake includes "before" and "after" example paragraphs with explanations
- Audio drama–specific dialogue formatting mistakes covered in dedicated section
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