Are you stuck on a particular piece of dialogue? Do you think your characters sound like robots?
The key to great dialogue is within your reach: act it out!
Now, I’m not saying that you have to be a bonafide actor. You don’t have to put out a performance that would make even Shakespeare weep. But you have to act it out. If you think your dialogue needs work, record yourself reading the lines against yourself.
Really give it your all! Don’t half-ass it or laugh in the middle of your lines. Sure, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be real acting. Imagine this is the clip they are playing when they read your name at the Oscars. Pour your heart and soul into it.
Soon, you’ll notice big and small changes that can be put into your script. That one speech goes on for too long. Or maybe that joke doesn’t work as much as it did. Write it all down.
Then, play the clip of your acting- or even better, send it to someone who can give you notes. Imagine you’re a normal audience member now. What feels real? What feels fake? What makes you laugh, even accidentally? By doing this, you can figure out ways to make your dialogue sound better- or that maybe you don’t need some lines at all.
And who knows, maybe you’ll find out you want to be an actor-writer after all!