1. Dialogue flows from one topic to the other, connected by related ideas and words.
2. Every character should talk differently depending on their characterisation and current situation.
3. Give each character different goals in the scene.
4. It is better to under-explain than to over-explain.
5. If something is unusual in the world or for a particular character, have your other characters acknowledge it.
6. Have characters repeat each other’s short words and phrases from time to time.
7. Use Grice’s Cooperative Principle to work out how people might alter their language for subtle meanings.

As we go through the course, I will be explaining each of these rules. There is a topic dedicated to each one of them where we will talk about it in detail and consider how you can factor it into your own dialogue.