I must confess that when I just started writing I struggled with writing dialogue. I realized this was something I had to work on. When writing dialogue the writing should reflect the tone of the character. One has to craft in a way that it does not become monotonous.

In trying to not keep repeating words such as, “said or replied” do not go overboard with alternative words so your dialogue sounds unnatural. Don’t use the words: barked, growled, shouted, or hissed in a conversation where they seem out of place. In fact people don’t bark, hiss, or growl.

When it doubt read the dialogue aloud and see if it sounds natural. Another thing to pay close attention to, is where you put your quotation marks and full stops.