Dialogue Prompts

Good dialogue is rarely people saying exactly what they mean. These prompts give you a first line or a situation where two characters want different things, so the conversation carries tension and subtext.

Dialogue Prompt

"You kept the receipt? Of course you kept the receipt."

15 dialogue prompts

  1. "You kept the receipt? Of course you kept the receipt."
  2. "I didn't come here to apologise. I came to get my dog back."
  3. Two siblings clear out their late father's garage. Neither mentions the will.
  4. "Is this seat taken?" "Depends who's asking."
  5. A job interview where the candidate realises the interviewer is their ex.
  6. "We need to talk about what happened at the lake."
  7. A couple argues about the dishes. They are really arguing about moving abroad.
  8. "Tell me the truth, and I promise I won't be angry." (They will be.)
  9. Two astronauts, one oxygen tank, twenty minutes.
  10. "You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be dead."
  11. A child explains to a grandparent how the internet works.
  12. Two strangers realise they are both at the wrong funeral.
  13. "I read your diary." "Which one?"
  14. A hostage negotiation over a stolen cake.
  15. Write a whole conversation where neither character says the word they both are thinking.

Tips before you start

  • Each character should want something different in the scene.
  • Cut greetings and small talk unless they reveal something.
  • Let silence and action beats do some of the talking.

Forge new ones with AI

Add a topic and get five fresh dialogue prompts written for it.

AI output is generated by openai/gpt-6-luna via Vercel AI Gateway. It can be wrong or odd; the prompt lists on this page work without it.

Questions writers ask

What is subtext in dialogue?

Subtext is the meaning beneath the words: what a character actually wants or feels but does not say directly. Readers infer it from word choice, evasions and actions.

How do I make dialogue sound natural?

Read it aloud, use contractions, let people interrupt and dodge questions, and trim the filler that real speech contains.