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Dialogue punch-up for stiff or expository conversations
Here is a scene of dialogue that reads stiff, on-the-nose, or too expository. Rewrite it so the characters talk like real people who have history, subtext, and things they're avoiding saying directly.
Context: scene_context
Character A: character_a_description
Character B: character_b_description
What needs to happen plot-wise in this scene (keep this, but don't state it directly in dialogue if it can be implied): required_plot_beats
Original dialogue:
original_dialogue
Rewrite rules:
1. Cut any line where a character states information both characters already know, purely for the reader's benefit. Find another way to convey it.
2. Give each character a distinct speech pattern (word choice, sentence length, interruption habits) so I could tell who's speaking with the names removed.
3. Add subtext: at least one exchange where what's said and what's meant diverge, driven by character motivation, not randomly.
4. Keep it roughly the same length or shorter, not longer.
5. After the rewrite, do a 'blind test': paste 3 lines with names removed and tell me which speaker said which and why it's identifiable.